


The Heart in Evil

by radiole



Category: BnHA, mha, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Again...Kinda, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kinda, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mild Blood, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Post Mpreg, Reunions, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Slow Burn, Villain Midoriya Izuku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-25 07:49:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20021848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiole/pseuds/radiole
Summary: "There's good in everyone, Izuku. You just have to dig deep inside yourself and find it. I promise."Working alongside the League of Villains was no easy feat. They risked their freedom every time they went through with a plan but to them, it was worth the risk. Midoriya Izuku was no exception. But his heart has gotten in the way of his logic. Instead of hating the icy-hot hero, he fell in love with him. Love, at first sight, is only in the fairy tale's, right? Getting himself arrested by the hands of pro hero, Todoroki Shouto, Izuku finds himself in a bit of a predicament as time passes. Drunk and under an influence, both the antihero and hero end up following their instincts, causing an unpredicted pregnancy in the process. What'll happen?A My Hero Academia Story was written by callmepipitCross-posted on Wattpad!!!





	1. Resentment

**Author's Note:**

> Eh, it's my first mpreg fiction in a while (my first BNHA story actually) so...yeah....enjoy

He sat there, eyes downcast to his clenched fists as he listened to the conversation from the other side of the room. The frustration he felt boiled deep in his blood and he didn't bother to try and hide the look of irritation present on his child-like face. As far as he could tell, he knew was in deep trouble this time and there was no way to escape, not when his captors have his wrists handcuffed together as if he was some sort of criminal.

Oh, wait. He _kind of _was.

Pfft, as if he was some lowly off-the-street thug who robs convenience stores. He was more than _those_ kinds of guys. Not that being affiliated with the League of Villains was all that much better but it was certainly superior to petty thievery.

Midoriya Izuku tapped his finger pads against the metal table, sighing deeply out of boredom and annoyance. Stupid half and half. The guy _just had to_ rain on his parade. All was going well until he and the Icy-Hot hero crossed paths. He managed to put up a fight but at the end of the day, he's still locked up, handcuffed, and sitting in a dull-gray interrogation room.

There are better things he could be doing.

_Much_ better.

But it's not like he's complaining. In his mind, things were set into motion. They just had to decide his fate and, hopefully, it falls in his favor. The green-haired antihero listened intently to the two heroes conversing on the opposite end of the room.

"Locking him up in any normal jail cell won't do. He seems more like," Yamada paused, peeking past Aizawa and looking over at the young man sitting in the chair. The green-eyed villain stared down at his hands. The blonde male raised an eyebrow with a grimace as he turned his attention back to his partner.

"Eh, he's rather _slippery_ from what I've heard in reports about him. No matter how many times the police have tried to catch him, he always slid out of their grasp and back into the shadows." Yamada rubbed his temples.

"The kid's an escape artist, Aizawa."

The aforementioned nodded silently, pondering about their current predicament. He looked up and made eye contact with the other man.

"Well, he can't be _that_ slippery if Todoroki managed to catch him and bring him in for interrogation. If there's one thing this job taught me, it's that there's always more than one way to capture a villain. A strategy is a big part of it." The black-haired male said, briefly side glancing the young adult behind him.

Yamada groaned. "But the point is to lock him up. What I'm saying is we can't just put him in a normal jail cell with other crooks because 1) he has a quirk and 2) he's extremely intelligent, meaning he could _easily _find his way out, no problem."

"There's a reason he's part of the League, Yamada. They aren't ones to mess around with. Maybe he shouldn't be locked up immediately. Instead, we should question him until All Might and Todoroki arrive. From there, we'll proceed." Aizawa inquired, turning around and walking over to the table, where Izuku sat still and quiet.

Pulling out the chair on the opposite side of him, the black-haired man sat down, entwining his fingers together and placing his hands atop the surface of the metal table.

"Alright, let's cut to the chase."

Izuku raised his head, emerald eyes meeting the dark orbs of the black-haired hero. The antihero kept a poker face as he waited.

"I don't wanna be here and I'm pretty sure you don't wanna be here, but," Pause. "Here we are." Aizawa started, giving the young man in front of him a pointed look.

"We have a few questions we need you to answer. Plan to be disobedient and you won't be leaving here with a _get out of jail free_ card." Aizawa threatened.

The green-haired male sat up straighter in his seat, silently motioning for the hero to continue. Understanding the message, Aizawa went on.

"You're affiliated with the League of Villains, correct?" Izuku nodded slowly.

Yamada walked over with a pad and pen, standing beside Aizawa and silently taking note of Izuku's responses. He briefly eyed the young man before looking down at Aizawa, who remained steady and focused, like a predator eying its prey before going in for the kill.

"How old are you?"

"23."

The black-haired hero nodded slowly, side-glancing at his partner who made eye contact with him. They immediately knew what the other was thinking, taking note to be wary of the young quirk user.

"Real name?"

"Midoriya Izuku."

"Gonna take a shot here and assume you call it a villain name?" Aizawa resisted the urge to roll his eyes before continuing. "What is it?"

"Deku."

"Hmph, a pretty odd name for someone like you, Midoriya." The black-haired hero commented. With an amused eyebrow raised, Izuku half-smiled mischievously as the man.

"Fits, doesn't it?" He spoke smoothly, a Cheshire grin playing on his lips, his green eyes glowing with mischief. The hero shrugged his response and continued on.

"What are the intentions of the League?"

Izuku shifted in his seat, the action not going unnoticed by the two heroes, however, the green-eyed antihero kept a poker face. He swore his loyalty to the League of Villains years ago. There was no way he was going to rat them out now, not when his punishment isn't completely certain.

But despite himself, he was afraid.

He may be part of their ranks but deep down, Izuku's fear of them runs deep, the thought of even mentioning any of their plans _alone_ sending unsettling nausea to his stomach. The green-eyed male forced himself to keep the bile threatening to spill under control, swallowing the uncomfortable lump in his throat.

If he even said a _single_ word to these heroes...

No, he couldn't think about that. They weren't going to do that...**_he _**wasn't going to do that. Not again...Izuku wasn't sure if he would be able to maintain his sanity if **_he _**tried to—

He bit his lip, refusing to look up at either hero as he felt their eyes piercing holes into him. He had to lie. He was already in a lot of trouble as it is. Lying to them would just be the icing on top of the cake. But why should it matter? The League could easily find him and break him out of custody. The heroes would be sent on a wild goose chase trying to track him down. It shouldn't be that big of a deal. Right?

Something inside of him made the green-haired antihero anxious and hesitant. Part of him wanted to tell a tale but the other part of him wanted to tell the truth as if he wanted these people to know the darker colors of the League of Villains. Confused on what to do, Izuku said the first thing that came to mind.

"I don't know." He started, ignoring the sound of his shaky voice. "The higher-ups are secretive about their motives. They only assign my missions. No information on _why_. Once they tell me so, I do it...without question."

Aizawa nodded in understanding, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"So, you're just their puppet?" He asked.

For a moment, Izuku remained silent, anxiously fiddling with his fingers as he bit his bottom lip again. Even he didn't know what he was to the League. All he knew was that he was **_his_** favorite. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the interrogation room opened, two more people walking into the room and shutting the door behind them. All Might came striding in with Todoroki, who opted to stay by the door. The half-half hero crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his feet, not even sparing Izuku a single glance.

The antihero felt a feeling of neglect course through his system. He stared at the older man across the dimly-lit room, heart rising up his throat and palms feeling sweaty. He quickly turned away and cursed himself.

"Oh, we were just talking about you," Aizawa said, getting up from his chair and turning around to greet the two heroes.

"Nice to see you." He said to the man. "I'm going to cut you straight. We need to talk, out there preferably." The black-haired hero whispered in All Might's ear. A nod in response. He then turned to the slimmer blonde, gesturing towards the empty hallway. Aizawa stopped beside the ice-hot hero just before exiting behind the two other pro heroes. 

He leaned into the younger man's ear whispering, "Watch him closely."

Todoroki gave a nod and stepped aside, opening the heavy metal door and letting the three men take their leave before shutting it behind them.

The room was silent.

Izuku rapped his foot repetitively on the cold hard metal floor. Todoroki ignored him and paced around the room instead. Eventually, Izuku leaned back in his chair, settling into a relaxed position, hands falling into the space between his legs and staring at the taller man lazily.

"You know, it's rude to ignore someone, right?" He spoke, stopping the half and half hero in his tracks.

Todoroki turned to him, slowly walking over to the younger man and stopping directly in front of him, glaring down at the handcuffed villain from the opposite side of the table. Izuku glared right back up at the hero. Decidedly being the bigger person, Todoroki clicked his teeth before opting to break the intensity between them.

"You're not worth having a conversation with," Todoroki said, eyes cold as he glared down at the younger man.

Izuku ignored the pang in his chest and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I get it. Don't wanna talk to me." He muttered. "Don't gotta be an asshole either..." Still, he pressed further.

"You know, you're not half bad, half and half. Catching the bad guys for a living. At one point, I wanted to be like you people—going around Japan saving the damsels in distress and quirkless citizens. But then, as I grew up, I realized how useless heroes really are. I swear you guys are like dogs doing tricks for the treat."

"Doesn't seem your role in the League is any different." Todoroki shot back.

Izuku shrugged. "I would say my role's more important." Sitting up straight in his seat, the green-haired man eyed the hero. "I don't recall any hero arresting anybody from the League in years. Considering _that _little fact, I'm the first one in a while, right? And you need me to get information about what those guys are planning, right? Well, I could easily just leave here and walk away like none of this happened and call it a day." He responded, grin etching on his face.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "There's nowhere for you to run."

"True but if I _really _wanted to," Izuku paused, flexing his wrists against the handcuffs. Gradually, the chain connecting them cracked under the immense pressure of his quirk, drawing the pro hero's attention to it and causing his body to stiffen in alarm. The younger man smiled. "I could break these cuffs and secure my freedom. But I have no reason to do that."

Todoroki looked down at the damaged handcuffs and up into the bright-emerald green eyes of the antihero. He tightened his jaw reflexively. "You let yourself get caught."

"Finally someone caught on."

"Why? What are you trying to pull, Midoriya?" Todoroki said, his voice dropping an octave lower menacingly as he leaned forward and glared into the villain's gaze.

"Wouldn't you like to know." 

~

"House arrest? What makes **_that _**decision is better than a specialized jail for people like him?" Yamada questioned, confusion apparent on his face as he narrowed his eyes at his comrades.

Aizawa sighed, feeling a migraine settling down in the depths of his brain.

"As I've said before, this is the best option. If what you said is true, he could escape any prison we'd put him in. Not only that, he'd refuse to talk to anybody daring to interrogate him, making a normal jail practically useless. He needs to be watched closely."

"He could be watched in a prison cell! We're practically giving the kid room to wiggle his way out of facing the law!" Yamada exclaimed arms crossed over his chest and foot-tapping repetitively.

The black-haired hero gave a look to the frazzled blonde.

"Look, there's no denying what you saw in him, Yamada. He's broken. If we put him into jail like any other criminal, he would lose all form of sanity he has left. I'm sure of it." Aizawa said, closing his eyes in thought.

"Why does that matter? He's a **_villain_**. No matter how broken he is, he still committed crimes, alongside the League of Villains, if I must add. This kid is _dangerous_." Yamada desperately tried to justify. Aizawa shook his head.

"And we're not?"

A silence fell over the three men, looming above their heads. Not looking at either of his co-workers, Aizawa continued.

"Heroes are no less dangerous than a villain. We may not cause the destruction they do but we contribute to it. Every building or street that's destroyed during a fight? We have something to do with too. I'm not saying we're monsters. I'm saying we're just as destructive as a villain is. Unlike them, we proceed with caution. That's our job. That's where the difference lies. Our motives. Villains are villains for a reason, just like we're heroes for a different one." The black-haired man explained. Yamada slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"He's still a kid. They're impressionable."

The blonde hero pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and groaned outwardly.

"He's _23_, Aizawa. If he was a kid, he'd be charged like one. But he's not. He's a grown man as far as I'm concerned. Right, Toshinori?" Yamada turned to his right to see the shorter man ponder deeply. He furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest as he patiently waited for a response from the number one hero.

Toshinori, on the other hand, was silently weighing the options in his mind. Yes, he knew full well the green-haired antihero wasn't just any criminal. He was a villain. To be precise, a villain apart of the _League of Villains_. At the same time, he knew Aizawa was correct. Izuku was a young man, barely mature enough to be considered a full-grown adult. For all they knew, he could have the mindset of a three-year-old in an adult's body. It was also possible he was brainwashed into doing the things he's done. The only way they'd find that out was if the green-haired man was evaluated by one of the agency's top psychiatrists. Whether he'd cooperate or not was another issue they had to consider.

Toshinori released a long-drawn-out sigh, relieving the ache in his temples.

"Aizawa is correct, Yamada. He's a young adult. There's still a lot about the world he could learn. If anything, he could easily change if we gave him the correct environment to. Maybe being in a place that's comfortable and nurturing to him could change the way he sees things. With house arrest, he'll be in the comfort of his own home and we could install a 24/7 surveillance system to keep an eye on him remotely." Toshinori paced around with a hand on his chin, choosing his next set of words carefully.

He knitted his eyebrows together.

"When I looked at him, the first thing I saw was innocence. I didn't see him as the bad guy we're charging him as. I saw him as a young boy looking for guidance, as weird as that sounds. He doesn't look like the type of person who'd want to hurt someone for the fun of it."

"But that's just it, Toshinori. Because he looks like a kid, he gives off innocent vibes. In police reports, he's not as innocent as his face makes him out to be. He's committed more crimes than your common criminal. You're...overthinking this." Yamada replied, leaning against the wall and eying the blue-eyed hero.

Toshinori laughed. "I just might be. But my heart is telling me...this is something that should be done. Giving him a second chance could be a better option in the long run. In time, he'll probably be more cooperative in future interrogations."

Despite himself, Aizawa felt a small smile pull at the corner of his lips. "So, have we made a decision?" He asked the other two men, tapping his fingers against his bicep as he awaited an answer.

Yamada looked up from his feet and met Toshinori's eyes, seeing the unfaltering choice the number one hero already made in his mind. He knew Aizawa would stand by Toshinori's decision, finding it absolutely useless to argue otherwise. With a deep sigh, he looked up at the black-haired man across from him.

"Yeah...Toshinori?" Yamada inquired. The man in question simply nodded his response.

"Alright then. Before anything else, he should be evaluated. Then, we'll proceed from there." Aizawa walked over to the door and placed his hand on the knob. Before he entered, he turned and looked directly at Yamada, taking note of the uncertainty in the blonde man's eyes.

"Yamada," He started, seeing the other's head pop up at the sound of his name. Aizawa gave him a reassuring smile. "Trust me."

Although he was hesitant, Yamada nodded slowly in response, gesturing for the black-haired hero to enter back into the interrogation room and following close behind. 


	2. Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With questions comes haunting memories. How could he forget?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit graphic here. Reader discretion's advised.

"What month is it?"

"February."

"Year?"

"2019."

"What's your name?"

"Midoriya Izuku."

"How old are you?"

"23."

Though the conversation was between him and Recovery Girl only, he still felt the ice-cold daggers Todoroki was sending him as if they could pierce his skull. The other three pro heroes were off the side, silently watching the interaction.

Izuku suppressed a sigh threatening to leave him.

"Ok then, sweetheart. Now, I'm going to start asking you some personal questions. Is that ok?" The old woman asked sweetly, waiting for his reply with a patient smile. Izuku nodded.

"Great!" She scribbled down a few notes before she spoke. "Alright. Do you drink?"

"Occasionally."

"Would you consider yourself an alcoholic?"

"No."

"Currently, are you sexually active?"

"...No," Izuku responded hesitantly. He uncomfortably shifted in his seat, feeling as though he was being judged by the four heroes standing on the opposite end of the room. He briefly locked eyes with Todoroki and instantly looked away, a light pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Oh! I must say, I am a little surprised. With a young man as handsome as yourself, I would think all of the women or gentlemen would be all over you! But, don't worry, dear. I'm not aiming to be offensive. If you prefer to keep to yourself, then that's your business." The elderly woman smiled tenderly.

"Thank you...I guess.." Izuku replied awkwardly, shrinking a little further into his chair.

"I just have a few more questions and you should be on your way. Now, do you have a history of any form of sexual harassment? By this, I mean has anyone ever touched you in ways that were nonconsensual?" Recovery Girl asked, the hesitance prominent in her tone.

Izuku stayed silent. In his mind, he debated if he truly wanted to answer the question. Part of him wanted to lie, to say "no" because it's the easier thing to say. But the other part of him wanted to be honest. He wanted somebody..._anybody, _to know what **_he _**did to him. The way **_he_** touched him, kissed him or even spoke to him in a sickeningly sweet tone, **_his_** words laced with a sincerity that wasn't truly there, to begin with. **_His _**fingers gently brushing against his skin, trailing up his exposed torso followed by kisses that left a bruise or the frighteningly hot breaths dancing along his skin. The goosebumps Izuku felt when **_that man _**touched him lower and lower, hands dipping into parts of the green-eyed man's body only he bore witness to.

The fear Izuku felt when **_he _**entered him for the first time, crying out in pain and wishing for death to take him. The knots in his stomach going in circles as **_he _**called his name repetitively was something he wished he could permanently erase from his memory. But it was stuck there, etched into the depths of his mind to taunt and haunt him for as long as he lived.

Nausea he felt earlier came back and hit him tenfold, swirling around and pooling in the pit of Izuku's stomach. Everything around him was starting to blur. He heard voices but they were muffled by the sound of his heart beating uncontrollably, the muscle hammering heavily against his rib cage. Izuku felt light-headed and felt his stomach tying itself into knots. When he felt something gradually rising from his gut, he clasped his hand over his mouth and began to gag. The next thing he knew, somebody was forcing him to his feet and leading him towards the trash can in a hurry, bending him over right before he threw up into it.

Izuku vaguely felt someone rubbing his back in comfort. He heard them whisper "_It's ok, kid_" or "_Don't worry, you'll be out of here soon_" into his ear, the voice calming and soothing to the green-haired man. As the illness in his body began to settle, the lightheadedness forced him to stumble, causing him to trip over his own feet and fall into the arms of someone else. He slowly closed his eyes as everything around him slowly dulled into nothingness, the green-eyed antihero succumbing to unconsciousness.

~

'_Izuku...Oh, Izuku~' The voice cooed to him._

_'Has anyone ever told you just how beautiful you are? I want to keep you all to myself. No one else can have you. If anyone tries to take you from me, well...I will kill them.' The voice threatened_ _ with a laugh._

_'I will taint you and take you for myself. Every kiss I lay on your luscious body belongs to m_ _e. _ _Every mark, every bite...' An unsettling chuckle left the person's lips. 'You're mine, Izu-chan~'_ _ He_ _ slowly leaned closer to his ear, _ _his_ _ hot breath mingling with Izuku's erratic breathing. _ _He_ _ smiled from ear to ear._

_'And for you?...I'll do _ ** _anything_ ** _.'_

He squeezed his eyes tightly, suddenly opening them and springing up into a sitting position, panting heavily as his heart raced rapidly inside of his chest. Izuku's eyes jumped around the room sporadically as the adrenaline pumped through his body. His mind was screaming that he was in danger, yelling at him to leave before **_he _**could touch him! He has to leave, he had to go before—

Shifting slightly, Izuku grabbed at the bedsheets and clasped them tightly into his trembling hands. He slowly released his intense hold on the sheets and trailed his fingers along the thick comforter resting on his legs. The young man lifted the comforter close to his nose and took a deep whiff of it.

Instantly, he recognized the scent.

'_It's the same scent of the detergent I used to wash this a few days ago...I'm...back home?' _He thought to himself as he took in the familiar environment. Somehow, he was back in his two-story house, clad in a set of pajamas he had no memory of changing into. Izuku felt a tightening sensation in his throat and a queasiness pooling in the pit of his stomach. Ignoring the feeling of sickness in his body, for now, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and placed his feet flat on the soft carpet. He wiggled his toes against the fibers of the carpeted floor for good measure. Then, he noticed something resting on his ankle. Lifting his right foot up, Izuku noticed a band wrapped around the joint, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"What...?" The green-haired man questioned.

  
_"It's been decided that for 18 months, you'll be under the jurisdiction of house arrest to serve your sentence. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to leave your premises unless you are granted permission to do so." Midnight said _ _lazily_ _, eying the green-haired antihero as she continued on._

_"You will be overseen by one of the many heroes from this agency for a certain time period a day as well as be accompanied by them if you find the need to leave your home. You are allowed to have visitors for certain hours of the day as well as communicate with any loved ones using a phone provided to you." The woman flipped through another file and rested her chin on her palm out of sheer boredom._

_"To ensure you are following these restrictions and limitations, we will secure you with a_ _ device_ _ that specifically tracks your location. This will also notify us, with its corresponding alarm system that will be installed on the perimeter of your home, if you ever try to leave. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to remove this _ _device_ _." Midnight sighed, reading on once more._

_"To further ensure you're following these rules, we will install a 24/7 surveillance system into your home as well. Don't worry, we won't be spying on you in the bathroom or bedroom. That's your personal business and personally, I'd rather not see any of _ ** _that_ ** _ as attractive as you are—"_

_"Midnight." Aizawa cut the hero off, glaring at the woman as she stopped her rambling mid-sentence and looked up at him. A light pink blush spread across her cheeks and she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly._

_"Sorry about that. Uh...where was I in this stupid thing...?" She questioned, skimming through the numerous pages until she found what she was looking for._

_"Oh! Uh...you're not pregnant, are you?" Midnight asked._

_Izuku looked at the violet-haired woman_ _ with confusion and embarrassment written on his face,_ _ a deep red blush slowly rising to his_ _ cheeks_ _._

_"No_ _..?" He said slowly._

_"Ok! Just making sure because it talks about all this legal stuff here with pregnancies and babies and stuff like that. I didn't think you were but you could never be too sure nowadays. Not saying that you could potentially _ ** _become_ ** _ pregnant but I'm just saying—"_

_"_ ** _Midnight_ ** _." The black-haired hero warned once again, watching as the woman slowly shrunk under his intense glare. Quickly recovering, Midnight knitted her eyebrows together and gave Izuku an apologetic smile._

_"Again, I'm sorry about that. But other than that little tidbit, it seems that's all there is to it. Do you have any questions regarding these terms at all?"_

_"_ _No_ _."_

_Midnight gave the emerald-eyed villain a gentle smile. "Great_ _. _ _You're all set! All you have to do now is take a visit to_ _ our resident doctor, Recovery Girl,_ _ which these three gentlemen and idiot, cough cough _ ** _Present Mic_ ** _—"_

_The blonde hero turned to her with a questioning eyebrow raised. "_ ** _Excuse_ ** _ me?"_

_"—shall be your escorts to her office. Don't worry. Recovery Girl is the sweetest old lady you'll ever meet. She's just going to ask you some questions to ensure you're mentally healthy and from there, a team will go to your home and install all those gadgets and gizmos I mentioned. Once you're back home, we'll put on the anklet." Midnight then dismissed the five men from her office._

_"Nice to meet you, Midoriya_ _. _ _I'll see you in a few months!" She yelled, watching as her comrades and the villain walked down to Recovery Girl's office._

_'Oh yeah...house arrest. They didn't waste any time putting this on me, huh?' _Izuku thought, placing his foot back down on the floor and flopping onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling blankly and raced through his thoughts.

That nightmare...why did it pop up all of a sudden?

Did something trigger it?

With a sigh, the emerald-eyed man sunk further into his bed and closed his eyes, reminding himself it was a horrible dream. Still, he couldn't help the sickening feeling he felt throughout his body. Izuku hated it more than anything. Ever since **_that _**began, flashbacks came to haunt him, making the antihero sick to his stomach. Before losing consciousness in Recovery Girl's office, he couldn't shake off the intense feeling of dread when she asked him that question.

Izuku sensed the hesitation in her voice when she did. It was something he didn't want to answer, rather...something he _couldn't_ answer. The memories were too painful for him to bring up. Just thinking about it now made him nauseous. Breathing in deeply, Izuku relaxed his body, exhaling slowly to calm his nerves. He opened his eyes. Opting to forget it, for now, Izuku sat up and finally stood up from his bed, walking over to his bedroom door and leaving his room.

Closing the room door, he looked at the pictures hanging up on either wall of the hallway. The antihero lifted his hand and lightly brushed his fingers over the glass. It was a picture of him and his mother on his fourteenth birthday, the two of them celebrating it together with some of their neighbors and a few close friends. In this picture, his smile was wide and bright, perfectly mirroring the one his mother had as she held him tightly in her arms. The picture next to it was something different. It was a photo of him and his childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki, on their first day of kindergarten, their mothers bending down behind them and hugging both boys from behind while the two of them hugged each other.

"Kacchan..." Izuku whispered, his fingers brushing over the grin of the five-year-old version of Bakugou. Looking away from the photos, the green-haired man sighed and continued down the hallway, turning into the kitchen and heading straight for his cabinets. Izuku turned on the stove and placed his half-full kettle onto one of the burners, pulling out his favorite cup from the cupboard and putting a green tea bag into it, setting it aside as the water boiled.

"Nice to see you're awake." Someone bluntly remarked behind him.

Reacting on instinct, Izuku grabbed hold of a knife from one of the holders and swiftly turned around, pointing the sharp kitchen utensil at the intruder. He was ready to attack whoever it was until he took a second to look the person over. Wearing a creamy-white turtleneck and dark blue denim jeans, Todoroki stood on the opposite side of the island between them, unfazed by the villain's reaction. The hero briefly looked at the silver knife glinting in the light before lifting his hand and carefully pushing it away from his face.

With wide eyes, Izuku slowly lowered the knife, still eying the older man as he slipped the weapon back into its respective spot in the holder. The green-haired man crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the half-half hero.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

Todoroki sighed. "You don't remember the rules Midnight read off to you at all?" Not bothering to wait for an answer from the shorter man, he continued. "As part of the watchdog squad, I was specifically given orders to watch you for today, hence why I'm here. They installed all of the equipment while you were unconscious, including the ankle monitor you're wearing now."

The older man pointed to the black device sitting on the antihero's ankle to prove his point.

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Watchdog squad?"

Todoroki nodded curtly. "It's a group the agency created for monitoring criminal activity or," He paused briefly, staring at the younger man with serious eyes. "Criminals themselves. Aside from that, there's a surveillance system. If you attempt to harm me in any sort of way, they will know and take action immediately. I would suggest you don't try anything." Todoroki stated firmly, glaring back at the antihero.

Izuku scoffed and softened his glare. "You heroes have strange names for your teams. If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done that already. Besides, I know what I'm risking. I'm not stupid enough to do anything as dumb as that."

"I think you're forgetting about your kettle," Todoroki commented.

The boiled water slowly seeped through the hole of the kettle as it whistled relentlessly, landing on the searing-hot burner and producing a sizzling sound. Izuku yelped and turned around, turning off the stove and moving the kettle off the burner. He heard the hero chuckling softly behind him. Turning back around to face the older man, Izuku puffed his cheeks in anger and embarrassment as a deep blush spread across his face. He glared daggers at the older man.

"Not funny!" The green-haired man yelled, turning his back to the hero and grabbing the kettle to pour the freshly boiled water into his awaiting cup.

Todoroki playfully smirked in amusement. "My apologies, Midoriya."

"Don't call me that," Izuku growled. Not bothering to look at the half and half hero, he asked, "Tea or coffee?"

"Tea."

The green-haired villain stood on his tippy toes and reached into the cupboard once again, grabbing another teacup and setting it down beside his own.

"Green tea, peppermint, chamomile, lemon-grass, ginger, or oolong?"

"Peppermint."

Izuku placed a peppermint tea bag into the red and white swirled cup he picked out, pouring the boiled water into it and waiting for both cups of tea to soak in the herbal flavors residing in each tea bag. Both men stayed in silence. Neither looked at each other and neither wanted to speak to the other. After a few minutes of silence, the half-half quirk user sighed, sitting down on one of the stools in front of the island.

"If you don't want me to call you _Midoriya_, then what am I supposed to call you?" Todoroki questioned, breaking the awkward and uncomfortable silence between them.

Izuku didn't answer immediately. In fact, he didn't know _how _to answer that. He didn't want the man calling him by his villain name and sure as hell didn't want him calling him by his first name. He just wanted to be left alone in his comfortable home, **_by himself_**, like the man he is and enjoy the quiet. But, of course, he's stuck with a _very_ attractive hero as his "babysitter" for the day and most likely for the duration of his sentence. He got himself into this mess, he has no choice but to suck it up.

Izuku sighed. "Fine. Just call me _Midoriya_." He paused, grabbing the sugar from the counter and putting exactly four teaspoons into his cup.

"Um, how much sugar do you want?"

"Five teaspoons."

_'Sweet tooth, huh? Too bad you're so bitter..._" The villain thought to himself. He plopped five teaspoons into Todoroki's cup and placed it in front of the man on its respective coaster.

The hero bowed partially. "Thank you, Midoriya." He said. Izuku nodded in response.

"My pleasure, hero."

They fell into another uncomfortable silence but this time, Izuku was the one to break it. "What do I call you, then? Can't call you _Mr. Hero_ forever." The villain joked, taking a sip of his freshly brewed drink as he leaned against the countertop.

"...Todoroki. My last name's fine." The half-half hero explained, also taking a sip of the freshly brewed beverage. He sighed in content and closed his eyes.

From where he stood, Izuku watched him, feeling himself oddly relax in the hero's presence. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad but he'll have to see about that.

_"Mommy, if I do bad things, does that mean I'm bad too?"_

_"No, baby, it doesn't. People aren't always what they seem, Izuku. Some people could do bad things but have good hearts while others could do good things and have bad hearts. What you do doesn't define you as a person. It's what's inside that makes you who are, sweetie." His mother placed her hand on his chubby cheek and caressed it lovingly. She gave the five-year-old a gentle smile._

_"You'll understand when you're older someday. For now, just trust me, ok?"_

_The young child giggled. "Of course! I always trust you, mommy!" Izuku exclaimed, cuddling himself into his mother's chest and relaxing into her arms._

'_What you do doesn't define you as a person, it's what's inside that makes you who you are...' _Izuku thought to himself, taking another sip of the soothing beverage as he hid his smile behind his cup. 


	3. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isn't insomnia just the greatest? Especially when the hero you wish you could hate (but obviously your heart said "no") comes barging into your home when you don't answer the door? Life's great.

It was the middle of the night.

While most people slept soundly and undisturbed during these ungodly hours, Izuku remained wide awake, highly alert to his quiet surroundings. He listened to the sound of the wintry winds blowing outside and the soft rustling of tree branches rubbing against each other. The antihero turned on his side and faced his window, being met with the luminescent glow of the moonlight seeping through the curtains and into his bedroom.

Izuku clutched his comforter and brought it closer to his head, the smooth-fluffy material bringing warmth to his body in the cold winter night. He knew it was going to be a long while before sleep would finally take him. A sigh left his lips. Releasing his hold over the comforter, he reached out to his nightstand and felt around for the lamp sitting on top of the surface. Once he found it, the green-haired man pressed the button and his room became illuminated with a soft golden glow.

The antihero groggily sat up and pushed his blanket just below his waistline. Izuku rubbed the sleep out of his eyes then reached for the book he left lying on the nightstand, picking it up and flipping through the pages to find where he left off the night before. He quickly came across the bookmark he left and pulled it out, then he placed it beside him.

As much as he wanted to continue his late-night reading, the man's eyes became heavy in a matter of minutes. Izuku let a yawn escape his lips and he shut off the lamp once again, not bothering to place his book back where it belonged. Tired and worn out, the green-eyed antihero finally fell asleep, not twisting and turning but instead resting like everyone else in the world during these early hours of the morning.

~

Todoroki walked down the street from the hero agency, on his way to the green-haired antihero's home. He wasn't the jolliest person on Earth once he found out he was on watch duty again. The half-half hero couldn't understand why in the world the agency didn't assign other heroes to the job such as Uravity or Ingenium, who would be much better suited for the job than he could ever be. Those two were much better with people than he was.

Besides, he wasn't the fondest of Midoriya in the first place. Todoroki would much rather have been assigned to patrol with the hot-headed Bakugou Katsuki than watch duty..._again_. The half-half hero made plans to see his mother at the hospital, which had to be rescheduled to fulfill his duties. All he wanted to do was go home, savor in the lovely flavors of soba, and enjoy a good book by the window. That or actually see his mother as he planned.

Unfortunately, he got wrapped up into watching the villain when someone else was supposed to take his place. It was Kaminari's turn but the electric hero pushed his quirk past its limits in a fight today and...in a nutshell, he became the equivalent of a crackhead when he was in_ yay mode_.

Luckily, Todoroki only had to watch the villain for a short while.

'_It's not as bad as it could be, Shouto_.' He thought. The half-half hero was having an internal turmoil with himself, struggling to decide if he should continue onward or bail and ask someone else to do the job. Considering it was Aizawa who personally assigned him, turning back wasn't an option. Now that he _really _thought about it, it seemed like the black-haired hero did all of this just to spite him, or rather, "_force him to interact with others more_."

"_You're practically a wallflower, kid. You need to get out there and assert yourself if you ever plan on getting anywhere as a hero. Not saying you need to become friends with everybody. All I'm saying is stop being antisocial. It's giving me the migraine of the century." _He recalled his old sensei telling him once.

The heterochromatic male rubbed his aching temples and finally decided to proceed, silently cursing the man for putting him in this predicament in the first place. What makes it even worse is All Might _agreed_ with the black-haired hero's crazy idea of putting him on "_babysitting duty_" of Midoriya, aka the pain in Todoroki's side, for the evening. As much as he wanted to protest against the two heroes, they were his superiors, meaning there was zero points of arguing over an issue he had to deal with on his own. It's not like he had much of a choice in the end anyway.

Todoroki continued down the sidewalk and admired the quiet atmosphere of the neighborhood. He had to admit, Midoriya had some good tastes, especially when it came to his living standards. The houses were larger than your average townhome, each of them possessing their own unique outdoor decor and design along with a corresponding number in descending order as the half-half hero walked further into the locality. In a matter of minutes, Todoroki arrived at his destination and walked up to the staircase leading to the intricately decorated front door.

He looked down at his watch and groaned deeply.

_"6:43 p.m"_ It displayed in bright red digits as if the four numbers were relentlessly mocking him.

Todoroki didn't want to arrive any earlier than he had to. He even reminded himself to get to the agency building on time for his morning paperwork, stall on completing the files to make himself late, and wander around until it was _way_ after his watch shift started.

But, of course, he _had to_ be on time, complete his stack of paperwork..._on time_, and leave much earlier than he anticipated in his mind. For once, Todoroki cursed himself for being _prim on perfection_. As much as he wanted to stand there and wait until it was exactly 7:00 on the dot, his morals told him to do the opposite. The heterochromatic hero pressed the button to ring the bell and waited for a response.

A few minutes passed and no one answered the door. So, he rang it again.

Still no response.

Making one final attempt, Todoroki rang the bell one last time and sighed in slight frustration, already knowing the antihero wasn't going to answer if the first two rings were any indication to go by.

"Midoriya." He called through the closed door. "It's me, Todoroki." The man informed, feeling his patience slowly waning thin.

Maybe this was a sign for him to go back to the office and find another job or mission to go on until the next time he was called for this line of work. However, something in his gut told him something was up. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, ready to call for back up in case the situation called for it. Todoroki cautiously moved closer to the door and put his ear up against the smooth-polished wood, listening for any noises being made on the other side.

Surprisingly, all remained quiet and still on the opposite side of the door.

Todoroki felt he was getting worked up for no reason. Maybe Midoriya wasn't home, which shouldn't be the case because he isn't allowed to leave without gaining permission from the agency first. The man scratched that idea out of his mind and shoved his phone back into his pocket, finding no use for it after coming up with a plan of action.

_"As both a safety precaution and to ensure he's not doing anything he isn't supposed to be, we're giving you, Todoroki, a copy of Midoriya's house key. You have the permission to use it if you ever feel the need to. Just don't abuse the authority we're giving you by providing you this key. Remember, he's still human. We expect you to respect his personal space." _Todoroki remembered Midnight informing him.

He reached for the key chain hooked onto one of his belt loops, grabbing the copy of Midoriya's house key and unhooking it. The heterochromatic man unlocked the door, entered into the all-too-silent home, and closed the door behind him, careful not to make a single sound on his way in.

"Midoriya." He called again. No response.

_'Great...now I have no choice.' _Todoroki thought to himself as he began to search around the quiet home. He started with the living room and worked his way back.

The first part of the house was much bigger than he recalled, probably because when he first visited, he overlooked all of the small details and only focused on his job at that moment. Looking through the entirety of the living room and finding not a single trace of the shorter man, he sighed deeply.

"Empty," Todoroki said to himself, continuing on to other parts of the home.

Much like the elegantly decorated living room, the kitchen was empty. Todoroki felt another sigh escape past his lips. He hoped that this wasn't for nothing. It was starting to become another pain in his ass, other than the shorter man himself, that he'd rather get rid of as soon as possible. He noted the hallway connected directly to the kitchen and made his way through it. Unlike the living room, the seemingly unending hallway had pictures hung up on its walls, giving the home a family vibe reverberating off of it.

Todoroki didn't like the idea of snooping through Midoriya's personal life but he couldn't help but look at the old photos protected behind the numerous picture frames.

The first one he saw was a picture of a younger version of Midoriya, the green-haired boy embracing a woman with the exact same green hair as him, who he quickly assumed was his mother. The young Midoriya in the photo smiled widely and brightly, his eyes crinkling on the sides out of pure joy. The picture next to it was Midoriya again but with a young Bakugou, the two boys posing side by side each other. Midoriya squished his cheeks together with a smile and Bakugou pointed finger guns directly at the camera, winking for added effect. Todoroki half-smiled in amusement.

If the hot-headed man knew the antihero had possession of this picture, it was guaranteed he would flip out, much to everyone else's delight and Kirishima's demise. But that led to some questions the half-half hero had.

_What happened to their friendship?_

Todoroki had no clue the two knew each other for as long as they did if the images were anything to go by. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly tattered their friendship in the first place. He knew it was none of his business and he wasn't one to pry but the thought that the two childhood friends have ties to each other bothered him. He couldn't understand why. Was it envy? But there's nothing to be envious about, at least, that's what Todoroki convinced himself of. Shaking the provoking thoughts out of his mind, the heterochromatic man continued down the hall.

Todoroki then cursed himself.

He checked virtually every part of the house, including the basement, and still never found not a single trace of the green-eyed villain. Where could the shorter man have _possibl__y_ gone? There was no place for him to go to! Midoriya was a trickster and sneaky, but he wasn't a fool. He'd play by the rules as long as it's suitable for him. Other than that, he would break them and not care about any of the consequences bound to come with it.

Knowing the villain's tricky background, Todoroki's mind instantly went to a scenario he _hoped_ wasn't true. If the antihero was capable of slipping out of sticky situations and jail with no problem, then removing the code-encrypted anklet would be an easy feat for him. Somehow, he could easily bypass the encryption and remove it without using its designated scanner. But if this was the case, the hero agency would've been alerted of the incident, unless Midoriya found a way to jam the surveillance system and proximity sensors installed in his home.

Then, Todoroki would be in some serious trouble and the half-half hero wasn't in the mood for that. To his luck, however, there was a door at the end of the hall, the only place he hasn't checked yet. Todoroki walked over to it and knocked softly.

"Midoriya? Are you in here?" He asked, leaning his ear against the door for a potential answer.   
And just like before, no response. Even a _grunt_ would've been enough.

Todoroki rested his hand on the knob and gently turned it, opening the door and letting himself into the last unchecked room. He quickly took notice of the various trinkets, figures, and posters of the number one hero, All Might, all over the room, adding a unique splash of both color and vibrancy. Despite himself, the man felt a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips and he hummed.

'_Hm, someone's a fanboy...' _He thought to himself.

Just like in the hallway, pictures of Midoriya's family hung on the pale blue walls of the room, each photo possessing a different quality to each of them that made them unique from each other. To Todoroki, it came as a surprise that family was..._so important _to a person like Midoriya, a villain who plays by his own rules and slips his way out of trouble.

It slightly bothered the half-half hero.

Maybe Midoriya was truly a good-hearted person. Maybe he pretends to be someone else who's entirely opposite, someone whose intentions aren't good for anyone else but themselves or their cause. Shaking the thought out of his mind, Todoroki turned his attention to the queen-sized bed sitting in the center of the room. His eyes automatically locked onto a human-sized lump prevalent in the middle of the oversized mattress.

Cautiously, he walked over.

A mop of green hair was the first thing the heterochromatic hero's eyes caught onto.

'_Ah, so Midoriya slept in, huh? Good to know..'_ He thought to himself before reaching out and gently pulling down the white blanket to expose more of the antihero's face.

Soft barely-audible snores passed between Midoriya's plush-looking lips and his fluffy green locks of hair fell over his closed eyelids. His knees were close to his chest, making the shorter man appear even smaller than he actually was. He even clutched one of his pillows close to his chest in a similar way a child would grasp a stuffed animal. Everything about him in the moment seemed..._innocent_. No smart remarks, no sass, no teasing, or false pouting towards the hero at all. Just a quiet, calm, and resting Midoriya that no one really got to see.

It was...kind of a shame really. Maybe then people would understand what _true_ beauty looked like—

Todoroki shook his head. Wherever **_that_** thought came from, he truly hoped it would never pop up again as long he lived. Instead of dwelling on it any further, the heterochromatic hero placed a hand on Midoriya's shoulder and gently shook him.

"Midoriya, it's time to wake up." He said in the villain's ear.

Instead of the green-eyed man rousing into consciousness, he shifted himself further into the comfort of his bed, cuddling closer to the soft and plush pillows while maintaining a decent hold over the one he held in his hands.

"Midoriya," Todoroki called a second time. Still, the antihero remained unmoving.

"**Midoriya**." The heterochromatic hero called one last time as his gentle shaking of the shorter man gradually became stronger, not that it helped in any way. Midoriya remained as still as before.

He couldn't understand how someone could easily sleep their day away, completely unaware and practically dead to the world around them. Since _clearly _shaking the green-haired male awake wasn't doing anything, Todoroki resorted to one last and final tactic. Holding out his right hand, he carefully placed it on Midoriya's shoulder and allowed the cold feeling of ice to surge through his body, the frost pooling in his fingertips and rapidly started spreading through the body of the unconscious antihero. Almost instantly, Midoriya shot up with a yelp, pushing himself away from the source of the sudden cold that roused him from sleep. Quickly identifying what, or rather, _who_ it was, he felt both irritation and confusion boiling through his system.

"T-Todoroki!? What are you **_doing_** here??? A-A-And how d-did you get into m-my house!?" He exclaimed, shivering uncontrollably and feeling his teeth chatter.

Todoroki sighed.

"Good. That did the trick."

"W-What do you m-mean by that??" Midoriya questioned as he curled the blanket around his body and cuddled himself.

"I mean I finally managed to wake you up." The heterochromatic male started. He gestured to the open spot next to Midoriya. "May I sit down?"

The green-haired villain nodded silently, still seething in annoyance as he made room for the half-half hero. Izuku felt like he could strangle the guy. Who wakes someone up like that? Maybe a simple yell or scream would've been better than receiving a cold shock that could've quickly escalated into frostbite. As he cursed the man beside him, he felt a warm hand resting on his shoulder, slowly warding off any sign of the bitter cold he was introduced to earlier. Izuku couldn't help but melt into the unexpected touch.

"T-Thanks...I guess.." He murmured, hoping Todoroki didn't hear him. Unsurprisingly, the hero heard him loud and clear.

"Consider it as my apology."

"Right. But...mind telling me how you got in here? I know I locked the door last night unless you **_heroes_** can unlock my door remotely or something." Izuku said, glaring at Todoroki with his arms crossed.

"No, nothing like that. We still have to abide by your right to privacy. But, the agency made a copy of your house key while you were..._unconscious _a few days ago. They gave it to me to use if I felt the need to. This was one of those instances. Remember, they assigned me to keep watch of you while you're under house arrest." The older man replied.

Izuku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. _I get it_. Gotta watch me like I'm a toddler.." He added, wrapping his arms around his knees and furrowing his eyebrows together with a pout on his lips.

"You put this on yourself, Midoriya."

"I know what I did. No use in reminding me."

The hero and the villain fell into silence. Not completely _comfortable_ but not entirely _uncomfortable_ either. It was in a spot close to the middle between the two.

Amidst the silence, Izuku felt the familiar uncomfortable feeling of hunger pain surging through his stomach. He kind of regretted sleeping all day for that reason but it wasn't completely unbearable. He side-eyed the hero. Would it be a crime if he asked him that? Would he regret even bringing it up? At this point, the pros outweighed the cons. It couldn't hurt to ask...right?

Taking in a deep breath, Izuku completely turned his body to face Todoroki, who stared off into his own little world. He coughed to get the other's attention.

"Um...it's kind of late, maybe around seven-ish? But uh...I was wondering if you'd like to stay for dinner...with me? I'm not exactly sure how long you've been here and I don't know when your shift ends but I figured you might be hungry as well and I just wanted to offer, you know...hospitality reasons? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to! In fact, you could probably just...go get dinner with your hero friends or whatever but—" Izuku began to mumble.

"Sure." Todoroki interrupted the rambling villain, who looked at him as if he grew two heads.

"Wait..._huh_?"

"Sure. I'll stay with you for dinner, Midoriya." Todoroki repeated, a sigh slipping past his lips once again. It took a few moments for the information to set in. Once it did, Izuku, despite himself, sighed in relief.

"Ok, good. Uh, that's _great_. I could make us something. Just follow me to the kitchen." The shorter man threw the blanket off of his body and climbed out of bed, heading straight for his room door. Before he left, he turned around and looked Todoroki in the eye.

"Do you like curry at all? If not, I could always make something else." Izuku asked, resting his hand on the doorknob.

"I do," Todoroki replied.

A small unexpected smile appeared on the green-haired antihero's lips, surprising both the hero and himself.

"Ok, then. Follow me." Izuku then left his bedroom, leaving behind the half-half hero alone with his thoughts.

_'He smiled at me? Strange..' _Todoroki thought to himself before leaving the master bedroom and following behind the villain, still questioning the shorter male's sudden change in attitude. It was weird, yes. If he was being honest with himself, nearly everything about Midoriya was weird. It was that moment Todoroki came to the conclusion that Midoriya was someone who was going to be as complicated to figure out as a Rubik's cube. And honestly, the hero found himself a little more interested in the oddities that made the antihero..._unique_.


	4. Night Faded From Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wine's either a guy's best friend or man's worst enemy. For Izuku, it's a bit of both. He forgets all of his worries and lingering ghosts of the past and lets all of reality slip from his fingertips. Things only got better when Todoroki Shouto decides to make an appearance at his house with paperwork. "Disgusting", his drunken mind thinks. It doesn't take long to wrap his love interest around his pretty little fingers. One thing leads to another, specifically, Todoroki taking the lead on taking them to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning you now! I'm asexual and, bro, writing out the slightly "smutty" part of this chapter was embarrassing and stressful for me. The things I do for fanfiction ;-;

The fresh crisp taste of red wine spread across his lips, the smooth delicacy sending a reverberating feeling of ecstasy throughout the entirety of his body. It was accompanied by a warmth rapidly spreading through him like wildfire, making his insides feel fuzzy and his mind travels to cloud nine.

He felt all of his worries and thoughts drain out of him in a matter of seconds. It was as if those thoughts didn't exist, to begin with. Izuku was seated near the large window of his living room with his legs curled in close to his chest as he rested his back against the wall. He leaned his head against the glass pane and smiled. The villain watched the way the snow fell gently to the ground, blanketing the city in a pure-untainted white and changing everything it touched to another part of its grand creation: _a winter wonderland_. For the fun of it, he curled and wiggled his toes, the warmth of his fireplace mixed with the beverage making him feel like he was high off of ecstasy.

He looked out to the near-empty streets of his neighborhood and sighed in content.

"Wonder if Mr. Hero had something to do with this~" He cooed to himself, a giggle slipping past his lips. Izuku hummed gently. He giggled for the second time, taking another sip of the alcoholic beverage and sighing a relaxed breath of air from his lungs.

Izuku leaned his head into the palm of his hand and fluttered his fingers against his thigh.

Just as he was about to go frolicking into the world of dreamland, his doorbell rang, the villain lazily lulling his head to the direction of the door.

"Who is it~?" Izuku called, tilting his head to the side in interest.

"Todoroki."

The green-eyed man gasped, squealing in drunken excitement and jumping off of the window sill, placing his wine glass where he sat. He stumbled his way over to his front door and unlocked it hastily, leaning against the doorframe and slowly sliding down the polished wood. The antihero looked up at the hero with wobbly vision and a goofy-crooked grin adorning his lips.

"Todoroki~ Just the guy I wanted to see!" Izuku giggled, still gazing up at the taller man through half-lidded eyes. "How come you came here, _To do ro ki-kuuuuuun_???" The villain dragged his words as he asked his question, tilting his head to the side once again as he waited for the other man's answer.

The half-half hero ignored the way the younger male said his name and replied, "I'm here because my superiors wanted me to give you this paperwork."

Todoroki handed tho stack over to the shorter male, who clumsily held the manilla file folder with a loose grip. "They're about the upcoming maintenance check the tech crew is going to conduct about a month from now. They want to ensure you haven't been messing with the equipment since you've been arrested."

Izuku skimmed over each sheet of paper. He didn't care about any of the fine print letters on each sheet as he passed through each of them. Maybe when he was more sober, he'd care but right now, he could care less. He had better things he could be doing. The green-haired villain bit his lip, tucking the manila folder under his arm and smiling up at the hero, who gave him a questioning gaze. He giggled happily.

"Glad to see you heroes trust me so much. Hehe, it's so cute how you all worry about me~" Izuku said with a laugh, squishing his cheeks together as he gently swayed from side to side. "It's almost as if you guys care! Buuuuuut I _do_ have one question, Todoroki-kun."

The half and half man sighed deeply, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for the younger male to speak.

"What is it, Midoriya?"

"Come inside? It's freezing and I get cold easily." Izuku slurred to the hero, visibly trembling to prove his point.

Todoroki watched as the younger man side-stepped and let him enter, gently swaying from side to side with a goofy grin on his face. Izuku closed the door behind the half and half hero and latched onto him, wrapping his arms around his neck and bringing himself a step closer to him.

The green-haired antihero's smile was wide and crooked as he giggled at the older male.

Todoroki furrowed his eyebrows together and eyed the villain suspiciously.

"Midoriya, did you drink this evening?" He inquired, allowing himself to be clumsily held by the out-of-whack antihero.

"Hehe, maybe~"

This drew a sigh from the hero. "If you recall, you're not supposed to be drinking any form of alcohol while you're under house arrest. It's one of the main rules you're being forced to follow, Midoriya. It's clear to me that you broke it." Todoroki stated sternly.

Uncaring of what the man had to say, Izuku spun them around happily with all of his quirk's strength. He laid his head on Todoroki's shoulder and giggled.

"But rules are for people like you, Todoroki-kun~" Izuku cooed to the hero. "Do you know how _boring_ it gets when you heroes watch me? I can't do anything fun while your kind watches me like I'm a baby." He pouted, nuzzling his chin into the taller man's chest and looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Besides, I _only_ had **one** bottle. That's nowhere near enough to make me lose my shit!" Izuku laughed loudly, pushing his body closer to Todoroki's and clinging to him tightly.

The half and half hero managed to wiggle himself out of the insanely strong grip the younger male had over him. He glared down at the antihero and made a grab for the pager in his pocket. His superiors specifically told him to contact them if he felt it was necessary. Trying to avoid and contain a drunk Midoriya was something he knew he wasn't going to be able to handle alone.

Todoroki recalled from the latter's files that his quirk was insanely powerful, giving the green-haired male superhuman strength, speed, and agility all wrapped up into one body, a very small body of he must add. Along with this, Midoriya's metabolism is faster than a normal human being's by a small percentage, meaning whatever he intakes processes at a slightly faster rate. This concept should be the same with alcohol. The only problem is that doesn't seem to be the case.

Todoroki instantly concluded something must be going on in Midoriya's body that's preventing it from removing the effects alcohol would have on any normal person. Whatever it is, this means Midoriya is much more dangerous in his drunken state than his normal one. It's more than likely the younger man will have no control over how much strength he uses, making him a threat to both the hero and himself.

Great. All he wanted to do was drop those files off and be on his way. Now, he had to deal with an overly-powerful twenty-three-year-old named Midoriya. What a _lovely_ way to spend a Thursday night.

Todoroki instantly started devising a plan in his mind. If he couldn't restrain Midoriya within a certain amount of time, he was going to call for back up immediately. The half and half hero kept his hand on the pager subtly and looked at the villain, who was fidgeting in his rooted spot.

"Midoriya, what day is it?" He asked the smaller male.

Izuku pondered the question for a moment before formulating a response. "Oh-oh! I know this one!!" He exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "It's Thursday! Right? Is it Thursday? It has to be Thursday because yesterday was Wednesday and Thursday _always _comes after Wednesday." Izuku started to mumble.

Todoroki coughed, grabbing the other's attention. "What's your name?"

"Izuku! Midoriya Izuku! But you can call me Izu-chan~ **_He_** _loves_ calling me that~" The green-haired villain cooed, placing his cheeks in the palms of his hands and smiling goofily, a red blush adorning his face.

"Who's **_he_**?" Todoroki asked. His thumb was already on the button of the pager, ready to press it if the antihero pulled any sort of stunt. He heard a girlish giggle come from him.

"Shigaraki-kun~ He always calls me Izu-chan~" The villain cooed happily.

"I see..."

"Why do you ask?" Izuku questioned, tilting his head to the side as he awaited an answer. Todoroki shook his head.

"No reason."

The younger man slowly began inching closer to the hero, not noticing the way the other backed up cautiously and silently prepared to restrain him if needed, not that the drunken quirk user would understand, let alone _care_, anyway. Todoroki backed up as far as he could.

"Tell me...what are the intentions of the League of Villains? You work for them, correct? What are their plans?" Todoroki asked the green-eyed man, watching him stop dead in his tracks.

Midoriya stopped just a few feet away from him. He blankly stared at the hero in silence, not a single readable emotion on his face. The silence between the villain and the hero only lasted for a few minutes, a chuckle leaving Midoriya's lips.

"Hmm, that's _easy_. We want to take out Japan's most _precious_ and _beloved_ number one hero, All Might, of course!" He mocked, walking even closer to Todoroki, whose face twisted into a look of anger and irritation.

"Ah, but we know it won't be _that_ simple. You see, it's like a game of chess. To take the King and Queen of your opponents side, you've gotta take down every single pawn, rook, knight, and bishop standing in your way to absolute victory, drawing out the King and Queen in spite. In our case, your King is All Might and you, Todoroki-kun, and your fellow hero friends are all of his pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops standing in _our_ way." Using his strength, Izuku pushed the hero's back against the wall, holding him in place by wrapping his arms around the other man's body.

"Hmmm, maybe we don't have to take out everybody on the opposing side but what's the fun in leaving them on the chessboard? They're free and able to roam wherever they please on their leader's side. We can't _really_ allow that now can we?" Izuku questioned, looking up at Todoroki from behind his bangs looming over his sharp green eyes.

Todoroki glared at the younger man.

A dangerous aura was radiating off of Midoriya in waves, putting the hero on edge. He had to tread carefully across the dangerous path the villain laid out for him. Make one wrong move and it was almost guaranteed that Midoriya would kill him before he could even blink.

"It'll be fun to just take you out one by one, watching you all struggle to save yourselves and protecting the people of Japan. But just know, Todoroki-kun, you can't save everybody, not even yourself. You can always run but you can never hide, not when you have a target attached to you." Midoriya slowly trailed his hands down Todoroki's defined chest, tracing random patterns into his skin with the light and fluid motion of his fingertips.

Unintentionally, Todoroki shuddered at the shorter man's touch. The way Midoriya touched him sent involuntary shivers down his spine, an uncomfortable feeling settling down in his body as the villain's hand explored his chest. He looked away from the younger man.

"You lied. You specifically told the agency you didn't know what the league planned to do. You swore to an oath, Midoriya. You weren't allowed to lie during your interrogation."

Midoriya grinned wryly, trailing his hands further down Todoroki's body and exploring every inch of it.

"Oh, I didn't lie. I just refused to tell the truth, Todoroki-kun. There's a difference between the two." He said, gently nuzzling his nose against the taller man's neck.

"Why?"

"Just like you, I have a target on my back, waiting for it to be shot the moment I do something against their authorization," Midoriya answered the hero. He slowly pressed his lips against Todoroki's neck, leaving a light bruise in one spot then moving onto the next. Todoroki struggled to remove himself from the other male's grip but found it was stronger than before as if what Midoriya was doing was a conscious choice.

In an agonizingly slow motion, Izuku moved upward, standing on his tippy toes and briefly eying the older man's lips before placing his own against them. The one-sided kiss started off shy, more of a simple peck, but it gradually became more passionate on Izuku's end. Todoroki found himself drowning in the shorter male's strength, forcefully rooted against the wall with nowhere to go. The drunken quirk user threw his arms around Todoroki's neck and brought down the older man's head to his level, still clinging to him and showing no sign of letting go.

Eventually, Izuku pulled away, panting heavily with a deep red blush plastered onto his freckle-dusted cheeks. He gazed at the hero with hazy eyes as he caught his breath.

The distance between them didn't last long. Izuku detached himself from  
the hero, giggling all the while. He pulled off the older man's jacket and threw it onto one of the couches in the living room. He then clumsily walked into his kitchen and pulled out an empty glass from the cupboards and a fresh new bottle of wine from his fridge. Placing the tall wine glass on top of the countertop, Izuku easily poured the deep red liquid into it, every once in awhile looking up to eye the hero on the opposite side of the room. Quickly noticing the frazzled and confused look on the older man's face as he stared blankly down at his feet, Izuku reached down to the cabinet beside his leg and opened it, pulling out a smaller bottle with a crystal clear liquid.

His hazy green orbs scanned over it. There was a label on it but he shrugged it off and popped open the top. He poured it into the sitting wine glass and slipped it back into its place in the cabinet. Izuku picked up the drink and swirled it gently inside the glass before walking over to the hero. Looking him up and down, he bit his lip. As much as he wanted to take the older ma right where he stood, the antihero stopped his urge. Instead, he smiled up into the heterochromatic eyes looking past him. He gently tapped the hero's shoulder.

"Indulge me a bit, Todoroki-kun," Izuku said, lightly brushing his fingers up the pro hero's chest. "I'm here by myself all the time. It'd be nice to have some company once in a while. Is that so bad?" He asked, taking a step back and holding the crystal glass out to the half-half quirk user.

"Here." Izuku offered. "I won't take no for an answer."

Todoroki eyed the drink suspiciously then looked into the younger man's eyes. All he could see was the prominent haze in the green orbs staring up at him, not a single sign of malice in them at all. Still, alarms continued to go off in his head. Cautiously, he took the glass from the antihero and watched as a wide grin slipped onto the man's lips. Still rooted in the same spot as before, Todoroki eyed the shorter male as he walked to the opposite side of the island, gesturing him to follow.

The hero did so hesitantly.

He sat down on one of the stools with the cup still in his hand, Izuku casually leaning his lithe body against the cool countertop and eyes silently gazing at the pro hero. A silence loomed between them before Izuku spoke.

"I answered your questions. Now, it's time you answer mine. Fair enough, yes?" He didn't wait for a response as he continued on.

"Do you know what love is, Todoroki-kun? Do you..._believe _in 'love at first sight' at all?" Izuku inquired.

He watched as the hero slowly pressed the glass against his lips, curious eyes gazing into the vibrant red liquid before looking up and meeting his own. They stared at each other. Izuku felt a warmth spreading to his cheeks as he lazily pressed the side of his face into his palm. Todoroki remained guarded, tipping the glass back just enough to take a couple of sips of the wine before gently placing it onto the countertop. A sigh slipped past his lips. He never broke the eye contact with the antihero.

It remained silent for a beat longer. Then, Izuku broke it. "Why don't I make this a bit interesting." That was the only warning Todoroki got before the antihero reached hero across the island and grasped the collar of his shirt. He pulled the man closer and forcefully crushed his lips against his, hearing the surprised grunt coming from the older man. Izuku couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

He slowly climbed up onto the countertop, wrapped his legs around the hero's upper body as best as he could, and draped his arms around Todoroki's neck, pulling him in for another kiss. Izuku found himself drowning in his lust for the hero. It wasn't until he needed to breathe that he finally pulled away, looking down at the half-half quirk user with half-lidded eyes. He admired his handiwork for a moment. Swollen and bruised lips from the intensity of his lips pressed against them. The way the man's chest heaved desperately for air once they separated. Tousled half-red and half-white hair mixing together sitting on top of the hero's head. Izuku felt a sense of pride flow through his system.

Still gazing at the older man, he grabbed the half-empty wine glass and pressed it to his own lips, drinking the last bit and carefully placing it back on the counter. He didn't miss the way those heterochromatic eyes followed his movements. Looking into Todoroki's eyes, he instantly caught onto the familiar drunken haze present in them. Izuku cracked a smile.

He leaned in just enough to pull open the first few buttons of the pro hero's button-up shirt. Then, he bent down and placed his lips against the exposed skin of his chest, eliciting a deep groan from Todoroki. Izuku slowly trailed his lips upwards, pressing soft kisses against his neck and jawline, and eventually placed them back onto the previously ravished lips of the older man, pressing harder.

Todoroki lost complete control over his movements. His mind couldn't wrap around the situation he was in. Did Midoriya drug his drink? Things were hazy for him but he was still partially aware of what he was doing. His body moved on autopilot, strong arms wrapping around Midoriya's waist and cupping his hips. He heard the younger man moan near his ear and all rational thoughts flew out the window. Todoroki felt his anger boiling in his blood with what he was doing.

This is wrong.

They shouldn't be doing this. None of it made sense. He shouldn't be feeling the sense of arousal pooling in his gut at the sound of Midoriya becoming a hot mess against him. He shouldn't be selfishly wanting more. He cursed himself. Todoroki couldn't find the strength in himself to fight against the drug he knew Midoriya gave him. It was intoxicating. His anger and frustration quickly turned into action as he scooped Midoriya up off the counter and secured the short man's legs around his waist, earning him a surprised gasp, hands still securing him by his hips.

Izuku took this as a sign to continue. He pressed his body impossibly close to Todoroki's and wiggles his hips in the older man's grip. He desperately wanted to produce friction and none of it was enough. He pushed against Todoroki's lips before he leaned back, breathing heavily through his mouth.

"B-Bedroom..._now_." Izuku huffed out.

Todoroki quickly complied with the younger male's pleas. Almost clumsily, he navigated through the kitchen and the hallway until they were just outside of Midoriya's bedroom, hastily opening the door and ignoring the slam it made against the wall behind it.

He walked them over to the queen-sized bed sitting in the middle of the room and pushed Midoriya into the soft mattress, quickly straddling the antihero before he could move. Todoroki grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, glaring down at the green-eyed male as best as he could. He tightened his grip just enough to bruise.

"You...you _drugged_ me, didn't you?" He didn't miss the sly smile crossing Midoriya's lips.

"Huh, so you've noticed?" The antihero slurred, testing his strength against the hold of the hero. Immovable. Izuku almost purred in delight.

"Looks like someone's ticked off~" He cooed. "Gonna do something about it...**_hero_**?"

Todoroki didn't bother answering him. Instead, a deep growl bubbled from deep within his chest as he bent down and kissed the antihero beneath him, ignoring the moans of pleasure that went straight to his lower half. He bit the younger man's bottom lip, not wasting any time when Midoriya complied with the request and stuck his tongue in, taking the time to explore the other's mouth.

Hands fumbled with clothes as both men struggled to strip each other. Things quickly climaxed as time passed. Todoroki almost wasted no time entering Midoriya, hearing the younger man scream his name. They both came to their climaxes in a matter of minutes but to them, it felt like hours. As things began to settle, Todoroki found himself collapsing beside the worn-out Midoriya, unconsciously wrapping his arms around the younger man's naked body and pressing it against his own. He knew the other fell asleep just by the way his breathing evens out. But as he drifted into his own slumber, he didn't miss what Midoriya mumbled.

"I love you...Todoroki-kun..."


	5. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe they should avoid drinking for a while. Yaoyorozu does have a good taste in coffee shops, though.

Throbbing, dull pain roused him from a deep sleep, the ache settling deep within his skull and making him feel absolutely miserable. A deep and pained groan escaped past his lips.

Slowly, Izuku sat up, instantly wanting to lay back down from the constant throbbing of the immense headache pounding in his head and reverberating throughout the entirety of his body.

"Damn...hangover.." He groaned out.

It took a few moments for his green eyes to adjust to the blinding brightness of the room. Once they were, he quickly picked up on the chaos of his bedroom. Bedsheets were all over the place, sticking up on some ends, halfway off others, his pajamas were strewn about on the floor, leaving him bare and prone to the bitter winter morning frost. Tossing his legs over the side of his bed, Izuku proceeded to pick up his pajamas off of the floor. The moment he bent down to pick up the discarded articles of clothing, a pain shot up from the lower half of his body, prompting him to wince. Izuku cautiously looked down at his naked body.

There were bruises but no open wounds anywhere to be seen on his skin. Now that he was aware of it, just sitting was painful for him. Accompanying the pain, Izuku felt a wave of nausea shoot through his stomach and he gagged for a moment before it settled. He slowly pushed himself off of his bed into a standing position. The green-haired antihero stumbled a bit on his two feet, somehow managing to find his balance before he completely toppled over. He managed to slip on his pajamas, finally being able to protect his previously bare body from the harsh cold.

He sighed deeply.

The man didn't recall anything from the previous night. To him, everything was a blur, a haze that couldn't be lifted from his memory. Only the bruises, aches, and pains were there to serve as a reminder but a reminder of what? It was all a blank.

Izuku looked down at his hands.

Old scars decorated the skin, memories of how he got them flowing into his head. Every single one of them came from a fight. He couldn't remember exactly how he got them. He only remembers the rage and hatred he felt in the few moments his fists connected with the other person's body. He does remember one of his fights clearly.

The first time he fought against Todoroki, his arm was so badly damaged that he thought it was going to get amputated. Somehow, though, doctors were able to save it, despite not knowing who he was. Izuku would've thought they wouldn't have bothered trying to heal him simply because he was a villain. It makes sense. Why would someone help the bad guy?

But still, they did. They saved his arm.

Since their first encounter, Izuku couldn't hate the half-half hero, even though his mind was screaming at him to be rational. His heart told a different story. The way it beat painfully hard against the inside of his chest, the butterflies in his stomach whenever he laid eyes on the older man, how his thoughts raced with "what if's" in his head. Almost instantly, Izuku knew he fell for the hero the first time they crossed paths. "Love at first sight" only happened in fairy tales. They only happened to the good guys, the prince and the princess, the knight in shining armor and his damsel. But his heart bested his logic and left him in a world of delusion. God, he's a fool.

Brushing the memories aside, Izuku limped out of his bedroom and went straight to the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, he searched for the bottle of painkillers. Spotting the pills, he grabbed them and gently shut the medicine cabinet, leaving the bathroom and limping down the hallway. Izuku stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the cupboard. Turning on the sink, he filled the medium-sized glass cup with water, shutting off the faucet and placing the cup on the countertop.

Izuku opened the painkillers and took out two tablets, placing them into the cap of the bottle. He took each one by one and downed the rest of the clear liquid, placing the now empty cup into the sink and slowly walking over to the island. He leaned his aching body over the countertop and crossed his arms, lazily dropping his head onto the makeshift pillow and ignoring the sting of pain in his eyes as he looked around.

The antihero's breath caught in his throat.

There, standing on the opposite end of the room, Todoroki silently read the book in his hands and leaned against the wall. Izuku was taken by surprise, slowly limiting his torso off the counter and standing up straight. The half-half hero didn't bother acknowledging the younger man's presence until he cleared his throat. They stared at each other, confused emerald eyes meeting heterochromatic ones. Izuku fidgeted in his spot while Todoroki held his gaze, eyes gazing directly into his. The hero's shoulders visibly tensed and his jaw set.

Silence loomed between them. It stayed for a few moments longer until Todoroki broke it.

"Good morning, Midoriya."

"Hm? Oh. Morning." Izuku replied, looking down at his feet awkwardly and rubbing his arm. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. The antihero willed the blush slowly rising to his cheeks to disappear and his heart to stop hammering against his ribs. He bit his bottom lip.

"If it's not too much to ask, why are you here? In my house, I mean." The green-haired man questioned. Todoroki closed the novel he held in his hands and shut his eyes, refusing to look directly at the green-haired man.

"I came here to drop off some paperwork the agency sent to you. It's about the maintenance checkup scheduled for a month from today." Pushing himself off of the wall, Todoroki made his way over to the front door, hearing a small "_oh_" coming from the younger male. Deliberately ignoring the shorter man, he slipped on his jacket he found tossed to the side zipped it shut. He unlocked the door and twisted the knob. He couldn't get far before he heard the antihero's voice.

"W-Wait!"

Todoroki didn't bother turning. Instead, he looked at Midoriya over his shoulder, silently waiting for him to continue. Unlike the usual cold glare he received from the hero, there was a haunted and disturbed look resting in his eyes, sending involuntary shivers down Izuku's spine.

"Todoroki...were you here last night?" He asked. The older man nodded.

"Do you know what happened to me at all?"

Todoroki didn't respond immediately. Instead, the older man gazed down at him with an unreadable look on his face. A sigh slipped past his lips as he turned away, shame, frustration, and regret bubbling to the surface. He unconsciously covered the marks visible on his neck.

"...Don't worry about it." He said, quickly leaving the house before the antihero could say anything else.

Izuku tried to stop him. By the time he reached the door, Todoroki already left, leaving behind the confused antihero with a blank memory of the previous night.

~

He cursed himself, sauntering down the sidewalk as he struggled to get himself home.

Earlier this morning, Todoroki woke up with his body still a little numb from last night. Beside him on the bed, Midoriya was sound asleep, any remnants of drunkenness no longer present in the smaller male as the alcohol in his body finally went through his system. For a few minutes, he watched the younger man sleep, hearing his soft snores and occasional mumbles. It was strange to see the young antihero in such a peaceful and tranquil state. He's only ever seen him out in the open, a wicked confident grin on his face accompanied by smart remarks thrown at him.

But none of that was there as the antihero slept. He felt the anger and shame bubbling in his gut. He remembered everything from the night before and instantly balled his fists at his side. The hero seethed in frustration, both with himself and the resting villain beside him. He didn't dare look at his own naked body. He couldn't look at the prominent love bites on his skin. He couldn't even look at the similar marks he made on Midoriya's body.

He remembered everything so vividly he cursed himself for it.

From the way Midoriya's eyes were dead and lifeless, his eyebrows knitted together in fear, the sadness in his voice each time he spoke or whimpered, down to the way his body moved. Each movement the villain made seemed almost automatic like his motions were practiced to the point of nothing short of perfection. Todoroki wished he could erase the haunting memories from his brain but he couldn't. They were etched deeply into his mind, scarring his entire view of Midoriya and breaking it into millions of pieces. Lost in his thoughts, the half-half hero ran into somebody, accidentally knocking the other person over.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He acknowledged. He made haste and bent down, grabbing their hand but stopped for a brief moment when they made eye contact.

"T...Todoroki?" The dark-haired woman stuttered out, gazing up at him with wide eyes and a look of shock on her face.

"Y-Yaoyorozu.."

She eyed him up and down. The bruises on his skin were dark and contrasted against it. There were obvious scratch marks on various parts of his neck, stretching down just above the zipper of his jacket. It looked like he put it on hastily. Squinting, she noticed his disheveled button-up shirt, the top buttons unbuttoned and exposing his a small part of his chest, and his tousled hair, the two separate colors mixing somewhere in the middle. His eyes looked heavy with the hint of shame and fury she saw in them. The man's lips were slightly bruised. Yaoyorozu's mouth went agape.

"Todoroki, who did this to you?" She asked quietly, ignoring the people that passed by them as they stared at the pro-heroes in surprise and excitement.

For a moment, Todoroki remained silent, opting to keep the trauma to himself rather than sharing it with the female quirk user.

"If I have to, I will find out who did this and make them pay, Todoro-"

"Midoriya."

"-ki..._What_?" Yaoyorozu asked, dumbfounded by the information relayed to her.

"Midoriya. It was Midoriya." Todoroki repeated in a soft voice, hoping the woman didn't hear him. She heard him clearly.

"But...**_how_**? He's under house arrest and...he...Todoroki, **tell** me," The black-haired quirk user paused, a hint of anger boiling in her dark eyes as she looked at the older hero. "How did he do this? By law, he isn't supposed to harm you or anyone else in _any _sort of way. I **_knew_** he should've been sent to prison. That psycho should've been locked up behind bars like everyone else!" Yaoyorozu stated angrily, unconsciously tightening her grip on Todoroki's hand. The man winced in response, prompting her to quickly loosen her tight hold.

"It...isn't his fault..._not_ completely..." He trailed off, turning his head to the side and looking away.

"What do you mean it wasn't _completely_ his fault?? This isn't something you do by _accident_." Yaoyorozu answered impatiently.

"**Yaoyorozu**." Todoroki half-shouted, silencing the woman from the beginnings of her rant. "I apologize. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Hesitantly, she gave him a gentle smile in return. "Don't worry about it." Her grin was quickly replaced by a worried frown. "But I'm not letting you go until you tell me what happened."

"We should go somewhere private, then."

"Great! But...mind helping me up? It's winter and the sidewalk's not as comfortable as it looks." Yaoyorozu joked, laughing when she saw the light pink blush spreading across the man's cheeks.

Todoroki instantly pulled his colleague off the cold-hard ground and lifted her to her feet, turning his flushed face away from her. "Right. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it too much." She replied, reaching over and ruffling his hair, much to the half-half hero's dismay. "I know a place not too far from here."


	6. Enter: Uravity and Ingenium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s a broad-shouldered guy and happy-go-lucky woman gotta do with me?”, Izuku thinks, probably, at some point.

From her spot across the table, Yaoyorozu glared daggers at the half-half quirk user, waiting for him to say something. She sipped her tea and set it back down onto its corresponding coaster. The hustle and bustle of the café the two pro-heroes were in were filled with life—couples on dates, friends hanging out before or after classes at university, last-minute procrastinators sitting at the round tables and harshly tapping away at their keyboards, and the typical loungers sitting near the café window. Despite all of that, Yaoyorozu's focus remained on her friend's face. 

"Todoroki, I chose to sit here because I wanted you to tell me what's going on. It's clear to me something happened that you're not telling me."

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Her gaze softened when she reopened her them. "If you're worried about somebody overhearing you, don't worry about it. This place can get as loud as an audience at a concert. Trust me." Yaoyorozu joked playfully. Todoroki looked down at his cup and watched the tea slowly ripple in the small rounded glass.

He sighed.

"So that's why you chose to drag me here."

"Yep. And I already told you, we aren't going _anywhere_ until you tell me." Yaoyorozu sat up and crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm serious."

Todoroki remained quiet. When he finally looked up from the teacup and into his friend's eyes, he saw the worry and fear present in them, reflecting off of her dark orbs as the woman gazed at him. Even the smile on her face wasn't convincing. He looked away briefly before gaining the courage to look at Yaoyorozu square in the eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Last night, Midnight and Eraserhead gave me a file folder to give to Midoriya. They told me it was about the maintenance on the security systems within his complex but," Todoroki paused, pulling out a folded piece of paper from within his coat pocket and sliding it over to Yaoyorozu. "I don't think that's what it truly was."

Confused, the black-haired woman picked up the sheet of paper from the table and unfolded it. On the inside, there was a name written at the top:

** _Midoriya Inko_ **

She looked up at Todoroki, who stared at her blankly. Yaoyorozu gazed back down at the paper and skimmed through the contents. 

_ Personal Description _

_Birthday: July 4_  
_Age: _ _50_  
_Gender: Female_  
_Height: 160cm (5'3") _  
_Hair Color: Green_  
_Eye color: Green_  
_Quirk: Attraction of Small Objects_

_ Status _

_Status: Alive_  
_Family: Midoriya Hisashi (Husband), Midoriya Izuku (Son)_  
_Occupation: Unknown_

She furrowed her eyebrows together. "So, you're telling me you took one of the papers, meant for Midoriya, mind you, out of the folder and kept it?" Yaoyorozu refolded the paper and handed it back to Todoroki, who took it and slipped it back into his inner coat pocket.

"No, Yaoyorozu. I didn't take it out of the folder. It fell out when Midoriya made advances on me last night. Before he could get too far, I managed to grab it and save it from being damaged. I want to return it to him in a few days." Todoroki explained.

Yaoyorozu's mouth formed into the shape of an 'o'.

"Ah, I see. Sorry about accusing you. I'm just confused. Why would they give Midoriya his mother's information? It's strange because that's the kind of information he should know, which he probably does. But why bother printing it out and giving it to him? Hell, it's hard to get the basic information about someone without getting some sort of warranty or reason for doing so." Yayorozu said, leaning her forearms on the wooden table and leaning forward.

"Ugh, anyway. You've still gotta tell me what happened. You left off on the part where you said '_Midoriya made advances on you'_ or something like that."

Todoroki took a small sip from his teacup and placed it onto the coaster before he spoke. "Yes, that's what happened. If he was sober, I doubt he would've done such a thing but he wasn't."

"Whoa, whoa, you never told me he was drunk. Doesn't that go against his contract?"

"It does. I don't know why he broke that rule. But that's not important, for the time being."

Yaoyorozu dipped her head and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry...again. Continue."

Todoroki nodded. "He pinned me against a wall in his living room but before he could do anything, I interrogated him to buy myself some time. I asked him questions such as his name, day, and the intentions of the League of Villains. All three questions he answered honestly before he proceeded to kiss me. From there, he offered me a drink."

The half-half quirk user began to tap his feet repetitively under the table as the memories from the previous night flooded his mind.

"At first, I wasn't completely aware that he drugged it. Still, I remained on my guard. It wasn't until we stared at each other that I finally started drinking." Todoroki's eyes hardened. "The effects of the drug took a while to set in but once they did, that's when Midoriya climbed on the countertop and started kissing me. I was only partially aware of what I was doing. Though I was angry, I couldn't stop."

Todoroki looked down at the teacup in front of him, away from Yaoyorozu's eyes in shame.

"Long story short, we ended up having sex. I was blinded by the effects the drug had on my system. It was intoxicating. In those moments I...found Midoriya strangely attractive. So, I took my anger and turned into action instead. One thing led to another and..." He looked up into the woman's dark eyes. "I think you get the picture."

Yaoyorozu had a mixture of emotions on her face. He couldn't tell if the woman was angry, upset, or guilty with the wide range of feelings she displayed. The black-haired woman coughed into her hand to bring herself back into reality.

"Oh."

"He wasn't the only one to blame. I played a part too. I was a fool. I should've never taken his offer knowing he wasn't himself. Still, things happened quickly and spiraled out of control." Todoroki clenched his fists. "I should've been more careful."

"Todoroki, you can't blame yourself for everything that happened. You weren't yourself either."

"But I remember everything that happened. In a sense, I took advantage of the situation, Yaoyorozu."

"Are you implying that you think you raped him?"

It remained silent between the two, each contemplating their own thoughts. Todoroki held a conflicted look on his face and he looked away, shame and guilt marring his features. Yaoyorozu didn't even need him to answer to know what he was going to say.

'Yes' was silently written all over his face.

She sighed and furrowed her eyebrows. "Todoroki, please look at me." The older hero did so hesitantly.

"Accidents happen more often than you think. You know that. You can't blame yourself for everything. I promise, no matter what you're thinking, you didn't take advantage of Midoriya. I'm not saying what he did was right but you gotta realize, neither of you had full control from the sound of it." She paused.

"Still, do you forgive him for any of that?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't have to forgive him. But I wanna be sure for my own sanity. I'm taking you to see Recovery Girl just to be sure the effects of the drug wore off."

Todoroki didn't bother arguing with the stubborn woman as she stood up and dragged him out of the café, payment left behind on the table as the made their exit.

~

Izuku was lying on the couch, his stomach pressed against the cushions and his face buried into the pillows. From his position, he eyed the empty crystal bottle sitting a few feet away from, eating comfortably on top of the coffee table. Why did he use it? How stupid was he to even _touch _it?

_"You remember this, don't you?" _How could he forget?

"_It wasn't so long ago that I used this on you, my sweet. The way your eyes looked up at me..." _Fear...that's all he could showcase to the sadistic man sitting in front of him.

_"__You were a drugged mess__.__ Letting me touch in you places like a filthy little whore. How mesmerizing it was." _Izuku was only nineteen at the time, just an impressionable kid with no true will of his own. They took that from him. They ripped it out of him.

_"__That's why I'm giving you one. You never know who you'll come across out there. Maybe you'll see someone you want to take as your own. I __want you to use it wisely, Izu-chan. Remember," _He remembered the pause and how long it felt. To him, it seemed like years had passed and he wanted it to end.

_"I'm counting on you."_

He buried his face deeper into the throw pillow and suppressed a yell burning in his throat.

_'All you ever did...was use me._' The green-haired man thought bitterly. Izuku bit his bottom lip harshly, biting back the tears gradually welling up in his eyes and threatening to spill from his green orbs. '_And I can't believe I let you. I'm so stupid. If only I could_...' He couldn't finish his thought. Instead, a sob left his lips. Izuku couldn't really remember the last time he cried. It's strange. He must've cried so much that now, even as an adult, it's the most natural thing in the world for him to do. It felt like forever since he last let himself breakdown. He hated the strings attached to his back with every single move or breath he took. He hated the constant fear of doing something wrong, the target they placed on him, the beating of his soul, the breaking, molding, and altering of his body. They broke him into pieces just to rebuild his broken mind and body into something he doesn't remember. They ripped him apart and watched him fall. They stayed silent when Izuku lost more and more of himself. They listened to the shattering of Izuku's heart when he watched his mother fading into nothing but a distant memory as they pulled him away from her. And that's not the thing he hated the most.

With every piece of his heart that's left, Izuku hates the licensed and self-proclaimed heroes who could've saved him _that_ day.

He especially hates the man who was there to watch it all happen. Izuku remembers the way his body felt when they injected the drug into him. He remembers the way they dragged him down the sidewalk and drowsily watched as the hero stood there, watching fourteen-year-old Izuku get dragged away to the unknown.

Everything else was blank.

But Izuku remembers when he initially woke up, lying on a metal table and his eyes being blasted by the bright overhead lights looming above him. He remembers the sadistic smile he was given as the person slowly dragged his hand down the side of his face. His mouth was covered with an oxygen mask and watched his breaths fog up the hard plastic. Izuku couldn't move and he couldn't scream. Every part of him was numb, his mind focusing on the dull throbbing pain he felt in his pelvis and lower stomach. Izuku clearly remembers the horror he felt when he saw the bowls of blood and organs sitting beside him on the metal table. All he wanted to do was scream. He remembers trying desperately to thrash around in hopes of escaping but he was held down to the table, the bonds tight against his wrist and his ankles.

He remembers all of that. Izuku still holds a grudge against that hero, wanting to rip him apart and make him feel the pain he felt for all those years.

But he couldn't.

Izuku couldn't destroy the figurines, posters, or photos he had of the hero. Instead, he kept them in his room, away from the eyes of anyone else but his own. Deep down, he still had hope that man would save him...he always hoped...

But now, all he could do was relish in an aching heart as he watched, from the invisible bars surrounding his home, that same hero, the one who watched him being dragged, still smiling and living life as if _that_ day never happened. And Izuku hated it. His mind wants to resent the older man but his heart wants to still keep childishly hoping the hero would be his savior.

His hero.

Izuku clutched the pillow till his knuckles turned white and another sob escaped his lips but he quickly stopped. There was a small, firm knock on his door causing him to stop his cries. Weakly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked down at the carpet. The green-eyed man gathered the courage to stand after a few moments, wincing in pain as he limped over to the front door.

He looked through the peephole.

Two people were outside of his door: one was petite with chocolate-brown hair shaped into a bob neatly framing her face, big brown eyes matching perfectly with her hair and a light pink blush dusting her cheeks. She wore a light brown collared jacket with a pink shirt hidden underneath and a black pair of tights with hot pink shoes. She had a hand on her hip and leaned to the side, looking at the closed door with a gentle grin. The other person was a man, much taller than the woman beside him. He wore rectangular glasses and had dark blue hair that contrasted to his light bluish-gray rectangular eyes. Unlike his companion, the man had a wider and muscular build. He wore a dark blue turtleneck pullover sweater and darkly colored jeans, wearing black dress shoes on his feet. His eyebrows were pointed inwards and hooked at the end, giving him a more serious look compared to the one the happy-go-lucky woman had on her face.

Izuku debated whether or not he should even bother opening the door but he quickly reminded himself he had no choice.

_"Look, I know you probably go by the old saying '_ ** _stranger danger_ ** _' your parents probably taught you as a kid but when it comes to someone knocking on your door, you have to answer it. We promise you that no one else will be at your front door unless they're the heroes we sent to keep an eye on you. Remember, if it's someone you don't know or we didn't personally sen_ _d_ _, don't answer it. Other than that, open the door and see who it is." Midnight told him._

_"Oh! And just so we're clear, we can see who's at your front door because of the security system. No strangers will just waltz up to your home unless it's the mailman." She joked, getting a look from Aizawa that clearly said 'say one more joke and I will have Sero tape your mouth shut'. _ _The_ _ woman coughed. "A-Anyway, our heroes are the only people who know your address once we assign them. Don't worry about it."_

Izuku remembered Midnight telling him. Wiping the tears still falling down his cheeks, the green-haired man straightened himself and fixed his clothes to look somewhat decent for the unexpected visitors. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before opening the door, seeing the woman's smile grow a little wider.

"Hello. Uh...may I help you?" He asked softly, afraid that if he spoke any louder, his voice would crack.

The woman grinned happily. "Nope! In fact, we came here to help you! Well, more like _watching you_ but you get my drift." She removed her hand from her hip and straightened herself, extending her hand out to Izuku.

"Hi! My name is Uraraka Ochaco, aka, Uravity. Midoriya Izuku, right? The villain known as _Deku_?" The antihero slowly nodded, hesitantly grasping Uraraka's hand and receiving a firm shake. The brunette breathed a sigh, releasing the villain's hand from her grip.

"Oh, thank god. I thought we might've gone to the wrong address. But anyway, this bulky guy next to me," Uraraka paused briefly and pointed to the tall man. "This is Iida Tenya or Ingenium."

Iida bowed politely in response. "It's a pleasure."

Izuku looked between the two pro heroes, both in interest and confusion. Despite himself, he stepped aside from the front door, making enough room for them to enter.

"I guess it's rude of me to leave you standing there, huh?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows together. Uraraka shook her head.

"Nah, you're fine, Deku-kun." The cheerful woman reassured, giving him a gentle smile as she entered his home. On the other hand, when Iida passed by him, the bulkier and taller man gave him a hard glare that sent shivers down his spine.

It reminded Izuku of the same look he was given right before the League punished him for going against the instructions given to him. He felt the panic rising deep within his chest and started breathing deeply. The villain shut the door behind him, leaning against it for support and using every ounce of strength he had in his body to stay upright. From where he stood, he silently watched as the two heroes gazed around his home in awe. Izuku sighed deeply. The vibe surrounding them was different from Todoroki's. He found himself oddly relaxing in their presence. But he felt a pang in his chest from the thought of the half-half hero.

He was still struggling to draw the memories from the previous night.

_"Don't worry about it."_ He remembered Todoroki telling him earlier that morning. But why? With the way the older man practically stormed out of his house, Izuku knew he wouldn't be giving him an answer, leaving him to fill in the deep dark blank in his mind.


	7. Friends First, Enemies Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor visits aren't always the best thing in the world (more specifically when your best friend forces you to see one) but they do reveal things the body tends to hide. Oh, but nothing beats new friends. Go, friendship!

Izuku silently watched the pro heroes from his spot in the kitchen, a little unsure about them but not completely uncomfortable. It was weird for him to admit but they weren't bad at all, at least, from their first impressions they're not bad. He found himself resisting the urge to trust them. To busy himself, Izuku put some hot water to boil on the stovetop and searched through his cabinets and pantry. The green-haired villain pulled out a box of crackers and a large serving plate from the pantry, setting them down onto his granite-top island. Walking over to the fridge and opening the door, Izuku pulled out a plastic container consisting of a wide assortment of fruits in it. He elegantly arranged the fruits onto the intricately decorated serving platter and picked it up off of the island. Izuku left the kitchen and walked back into the living room where Uraraka and Iida casually spoke to each other.

He set the platter down onto the coffee table beside the assortment of bottled drinks he pulled out earlier. Izuku sat on the couch opposite to the two pro heroes, looking down at his hands sitting on his lap. Quickly noticing the antihero's presence, Uraraka turned and smiled genuinely, looking around the room one last time before settling her gaze onto the villain.

"I'm impressed, Deku-kun. Everything about your house is just so..._homey_." The brunette complimented. Izuku looked up at the pro hero and felt himself blush.

"Thank you...Uraraka-san..." He trailed off, fiddling with the hem of his robe's sleeves anxiously and looking away.

"I-Is it...alright for me to call you that?"

"Hm? Of course, it is! I don't mind." Uraraka reassured. "If you're comfortable with it, then I don't see the problem. Though, I do have _one _problem." She said, leaning forward and plucking a vibrant red strawberry off of the platter and popping it into her mouth. Once she enjoyed the natural sweetness of the berry, she cleared her throat, gazing at the villain with a playful and almost teasing look. A half grin settled onto her lips. "You're very quiet. I mean, I could understand _why_ you would be. I mean, a long time ago, heroes and villains never mixed. Too many differences between us and such. But I don't really care about that." Uraraka explained.

The petite woman leaned forward a little, stretching the tiniest bit across the deep oak coffee table and grabbing a hold of Izuku's hands in her own. She held them there and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Back in high school, especially with my classmates, I was always known to be bubbly, cheerful, and trusting all the time. My parents always told me I was good about sensing a person's vibes and what they give off." Uraraka giggled lightly, turning away as the permanent blush on her face grew slightly deeper.

"They were even convinced, at one point, that being trusting was my quirk." She giggled. On the other hand, Iida remained silent, his head turned away from the two younger adults as his eyes looked elsewhere. Izuku's eyebrows furrowed together.

"But, we should do a bit of an icebreaker! You know, we get to know you and you get to know us." Uraraka pronounced cheerfully. Her eyes shifted between the two men and immediately registered the sour look on her companion's face. She elbowed his side.

"Hey, what's up with you, Iida-kun? Something wrong?" The brunette asked with genuine concern laced in her voice. Iida looked at her and firmly shook his head.

"No. Nothing is wrong, Uraraka. Please, don't let the look on my face tell you otherwise. I'm simply thinking. That's all. Continue, please." He informed, uncrossing his arms from across his chest and, instead, placing them into his lap. The cheery quirk user wasn't easily convinced. She wanted to detest his reply but didn't. Although the serious look on her friend's face was bothering her, she pushed it aside and told herself to ask the man later. With a nod, Uraraka turned to face Izuku, who fiddled with the strawberry he held in one of his hands. She coughed and snapped him out of his trance.

"Ah, sorry about that. You seemed lost in your own little world there." Uraraka teased, seeing a light pink blush appear on the villain's cheeks as he twisted and ripped off the leaves on top of the strawberry. He then proceeded to plop it into his mouth and ate it slowly. Izuku didn't want to cause a scene by dry heaving onto his living room floor. He took his time swallowing the sweet berry and taking a deep breath to calm down sudden nausea swirling in his stomach. Izuku ignored the sickness and willed his blush to go away.

He breathed out a sigh. "I was, huh?"

"Yep! It's ok though. I do the same thing." Uraraka reassured, flashing a bright grin in Izuku's direction. She leaned against the soft sofa cushion and sighed in content.

"So, we'll start with you."

~

Answering questions about your health were one thing; getting poked and prodded at by the hero agency's resident nurse was another. It was a whole other level of "getting in your personal space" and Todoroki didn't appreciate it. Still, he couldn't avoid it entirely. Instead, he was stuck sitting on top of an examination table, every single part of his body getting checked out by the elderly woman, literally and figuratively. He was wearing close to nothing but his birthday suit, the paper-thin hospital gown doing nothing to shield his backside and barely managing to cover his front side with the way it rode up with each movement he made. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yaoyorozu grinning at him like the Cheshire Cat on the opposite side of the room, a mischievous look in her eyes and a smug one on her face.

Recovery Girl took a few steps back and smiled up at the half-half hero. Her eyebrows were knitted in worry.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary, dear. Just some minor bruising that'll clear in a few days." She gently patted the man's leg. "You're as healthy as ever. Though I am a bit concerned. You said you were drugged?"

Todoroki curtly nodded his head.

"Yes, he did." He looked down at his hands, clenching his fists tightly together. "It didn't take long for it take effect. I don't remember too much. I apologize."

The elderly woman shook her head, a gentle and sympathetic smile spreading across her lips. "It's nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. But I would like to know his mental state last night."

"He was drunk."

"Noticed anything strange in his drunken state? Maybe the things he said perhaps?" Recovery Girl asked, sitting down on the swivel chair and pulling out a notepad, patiently waiting for the pro-hero's response. Todoroki stayed silent.

_"Hmm, that's _ ** _easy_ ** _. We want to take out Japan's most precious and beloved number one hero, All Might, of course! Ah, but we know it won't be that simple. You see, it's like a game of chess. To take the King and Queen of your opponents side, you've gotta take down every single pawn, rook, knight, and bishop standing in your way to absolute victory, drawing out the King and Queen in spite. In our case, your King is All Might and you, Todoroki-kun, and your fellow hero friends are all of his pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops standing in _ ** _our_ ** _ way."_

The half-half hero remembered the way Midoriya's arms were wrapped around his waist. He held him there, kept him rooted in one spot, and looked at him with clouded eyes.

_"Hmmm, maybe we don't have to take out everybody on the opposing side but what's the fun in leaving them on the chessboard? They're free and able to roam wherever they please on their leader's side. We can't _ ** _really_ ** _ allow that now can we? It'll be fun to just take you out one by one, watching you all struggle to save yourselves and protecting the people of Japan. But just know, Todoroki-kun, you can't save everybody, not even yourself. You can always run but you can never hide, not when you have a target attached to you."_

Todoroki scoffed lightly at the memory, regaining his composure before looking up at the agency's doctor. He squared his shoulders and briefly looked at Yaoyorozu. She gave him a nod.

"He told me what the League of Villains is planning, however, in custody, he specifically said that he didn't know what they were scheming. For whatever reason, he lied."

"Oh, so we have a bit of a liar on our hands then?"

Both young pro-heroes turned their heads to the direction of the voice, silently watching as Aizawa and Toshinori walked into the exam room. The black-haired man gently closed the door behind him and leaned against it with his arms crossed. He looked eye to eye with Todoroki.

Todoroki nodded.

"Yes."

"And, from what I've heard from the other side of the door, this all happened last night? To be specific, when you went to drop off those files we gave to you?"

Another nod from the younger pro-hero. Aizawa sighed deeply and rubbed his aching temples, sliding his hand down his face as he side-eyed Toshinori.

"And you couldn't contact _us_ because..?"

"Drugged. I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be. Wasn't your fault, kid." Aizawa reassured. "So, to be blunt, the kid drugged you, you two had sex and he wasn't aware of it but you were?"

Yaoyorozu looked at her friend, worry glossing in her eyes as she watched him slumping his shoulders in shame and defeat. The woman bit her lip when Todoroki nodded hesitantly.

"Yes."

Toshinori shook his head in disbelief. "Midoriya? That's not possible....it _shouldn't_ be possible." He claimed, placing a hand on his chin in deep thought.

The black-haired man shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, whatever altered his body had an effect on him. It slowed down his metabolic rate so the wine would practically sit in his body for longer, putting him in that drunken state. We just don't know what that _something _is."

"Oh, not entirely, deary." Recovery Girl spoke up, everyone turning to her and silently waiting for the elderly woman to continue. She pulled out a file folder with Midoriya's name on it and placed it on top of her desk, opening it to reveal its contents.

"When he was unconscious a few days ago, I had to run some tests and take scans of his body for future reference. If this boy is as clumsy as his predecessor, then I know I'll be seeing him in my office more often." She laughed wholeheartedly. On the other hand, Toshinori felt a blush creeping on his face, turning away to face the wall. Todoroki merely raised an eyebrow in confusion but ignored his sensei's odd behavior.

"Anyway, I did find something strange in his body. I found traces of a sort of...drug flowing through the blood vessels in his brain. Of course, I'm not entirely sure what it is. I would need to have him come in so I can conduct some blood tests. But I feel like the drug has something to do with his behavior from last night." She turned to half-half hero. "Todoroki, sweetheart, I need you to describe his movements for me. Were they sloppy or practiced?"

"They seemed practiced to me. If I may ask, how does it relate to this?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear. I'll fill you in as soon as I talk it over with Aizawa and Toshinori. I already sent in an order for some painkillers to ease the pain. Just pick it up at the pharmacy on the first floor and you should be good! Please, take it easy. I suggest not doing anything extensive for the next few days. You can change in the other room." Recovery Girl said with a smile.

Todoroki nodded in return. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, dear. Have a good day."

"You too.." The man trailed off, walking over to Yaoyorozu, who picked up his clothes from the side bench and gently placed them into his hands. She opened the exam room door and proceeded to walk out, Todoroki stumbling not too far behind her. Aizawa leaned over and closed the door behind them, resting his back against it and crossing his arms over his chest.

He looked up at the doctor.

"So, you remember Midoriya then."

Recovery Girl nodded, sorrow suddenly appearing on her gentle face. "The missing child from 9 years ago? Of course, I do. I could never forget him. I could never forget those vibrant green eyes of his." She smiled sadly. "I only met him after his training session with Toshinori. Still, that boy shined brightly despite being injured."

Aizawa sighed softly in response, digging his chin into his scarf. "Never met him before. I only heard about him from Toshinori. I was hoping he would be in my class. Then, he went missing." The man looked at his friend, seeing the guilt spreading across his face as the older pro hero looked down at his feet. The black-haired quirk user placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"It...wasn't your fault. There wasn't much you could do."

The number one hero violently shook his head, taking a step from Aizawa and wiping his eyes as they filled with unshed tears. He held back a sob.

"No...I could've done something to save him that day. Because of me, Midoriya's different. If only I wasn't so weak against them I could've—"

"—But you couldn't. Trust and believe me, Toshinori. As much as we want to save everyone, we can't. He's tough. He probably took a lot of shit from them in the last few years."

"And that's what I wanted to talk to you two about." Recovery Girl said, watching as the two men turned their attention over to her.

"You see, when I did scans of Midoriya's body, the drug wasn't the only thing I found." She paused, flipping through the pages of the file folder and pulling out an ultrasound scan, handing it to Aizawa, who gently took the picture out of her hands. He studied it carefully but remained confused.

"What's...this?"

"A womb. An _artificial_ womb, if I must add. Looking at it, it's only a few years old, meaning it was most likely implanted when Midoriya was younger. Luckily, he isn't pregnant but he could be someday. From what Todoroki told me earlier, it's highly possible for Midoriya to conceive." Recovery Girl paused, seeing the confused looks from the other two pro heroes.

She continued.

"I usually don't like to assume but there are too many open holes here. He could become pregnant if his body was fertilized last night. Considering the circumstances, it seems like that might be the case. I would like to see him in about eight weeks." She explained.

Toshinori felt a sigh escape past his lips, plucking the ultrasound photo out of his comrade's hands and examining it. There were prominent white lines just below Midoriya's pelvic area and a few on the womb itself. He resided an eyebrow.

"And what are these lines here for?"

"Those? They're internal injuries, the usual signs somebody was raped most of the time. I didn't see any in Todoroki's body. He had a lot of bruising. But for Midoriya? He has a lot. It's clear it occurred more than once. And from that photo, you can tell he was pregnant before. If you look closer, you can see the minor expansion of the womb. Unfortunately, it's likely he lost the baby..." Recovery Girl trailed off, turning her head away as she felt tears threatening to spill. The woman pulled off her glasses and wiped her eyes, slipping the frames back onto her face.

"I'm not completely sure when he's going to conceive if he conceives at all. But, I'm positive it'll happen within the next week or two. His body has been through a lot. If he becomes pregnant in the next two months, that pregnancy will be a danger to him and the child. It's a risk that I doubt he wants to take. But we'll have to see."

Toshinori nodded in understanding, handing the photo back over to the elderly woman. He turned to Aizawa.

"What files did you give Midoriya? Well, _Todoroki_ gave Midoriya, I mean."

The black-haired quirk user sighed and stood up from his slumped position. "I gave him personal files, specifically the ones of himself and his parents. I knew he was the boy that went missing years ago after you told me about it. So, I figured the kid might want to see his mother again."

"Oh."

"Yep. But, we've gotta keep a closer eye on him. I've already got Kirishima and Mashirao on the schedule for tomorrow but I'll have Midnight get the surveillance system updated by the management team. If this happens again—"

"—Just know that it wasn't his fault, Aizawa." Recovery Girl interjected.

"I'm aware. There's a possibility he may become pregnant soon and you said that it'll be a risk, right? Well, think about it. Considering what Midoriya has been through these last few years and his mental state was altered a few years ago, how do you think he's going to react to something growing inside of his body?" Aizawa questioned, looking between his friend and the doctor, the two of them looking elsewhere in the room.

He sighed deeply.

"Look, he might not want that kid if it pops into existence. Everything about this situation is in a gray space. I felt like I was doing the wrong thing when Yamada was hounding me for getting the judge to sign an agreement for house arrest and not prison. But now that we've learned of...the changes made in Midoriya's body, I'm certain I did the right thing. For now, we watch him. If he shows signs of pregnancy in the next eight weeks, we bring him in for an examination and go from there."

"Are you sure about this, Aizawa?"

"I'm absolutely positive. I was right about one thing—he's broken. I'd rather do anything to help him than see him suffer in pain, whether he's my student or not. He was supposed to be so I'm treating him as such."

~

"Iida-kun, why are you acting like this?" Uraraka asked, walking in sync with her comrade. They left Midoriya's home not too long ago, the brunette woman feeling satisfied. She learned a lot about the antihero, even openly telling him things she'd only tell Iida. She didn't understand why. All she knew was that she trusted him and, if she was seeing things correctly, Midoriya trusted them as well, visibly relaxing in their presence. Still, he didn't dive too deep into his life but he told the two pro heroes about the basics. As they walked, Uraraka continued to glare at Iida. She knew something was up when the man was glaring daggers in Midoriya's direction.

"Come on, you can't tell me he was _that _bad. He was really sweet."

"You're judgment is clouded, Uraraka. He's a villain if I must remind you. He can't be trusted."

Clenching her fist, the petite woman sped up to the dark-haired quirk user and touched his arm, activating her quirk and using it to stop Iida's movements. She forced him to turn around and face her. His expression remained still.

"And you think it was so easy for him to trust us? Come on! For all he knew, we could've been sent out to kill him and he wouldn't have known that! But Iida-kun, there's something he's hiding. It's his business to tell and I'm not going to pry but I noticed something off, something sad and shattered about him every time we made eye contact. You can't tell me you didn't notice that too." Uraraka said, tightening her grip on Iida's arm.

On the other hand, Iida quietly stared at the petite woman. He looked away when he saw her brown eyes slowly become glossy. The man cleared his throat.

"Of course, I noticed." He paused, releasing himself from Uraraka's grip before continuing. "I noticed it the moment he opened the front door. But what do you want to do about it? He's not going to tell either of us what's bothering him, let alone the hero agency itself. He was barely able to speak about himself and at that point, Uraraka, we drop it. No questions asked."

"There's plenty of questions to ask! We're _heroes_. It's our job to help those in need of saving, right?"

"Yes, that may be true but he's a _villain_. No matter what, they're our enemy! Nothing you do will change that."

"Oh don't give me that lecture! I learned that in high school! You don't have to remind me."

"You're wasting your time and energy on someone like him."

"Fine, he's a villain. Ok, I'll give you that. But before that he's _human_. He's still prone to emotions and suffering just like the rest of us. Why can't you see that?"

Iida sighed, turning his back to the brunette and looking down at the sidewalk. He gritted his teeth bitterly.

"He's part of the League of Villains. Whether we like it or not, he's still with those people, serving under their wing with no hesitation. He's working alongside the people who hurt my brother all those years ago." The man clenched his fists, tears beginning to prickle at the sides of his eyes.

"I wanted to be the one to take revenge but Todoroki and the others defeated Stain while I laid there useless. I'm not going to help **_anybody _**that associates themselves with that man!" Iida exclaimed.

Uraraka felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Walking over to her friend, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, the man turning his head to face her. She gave him a small smile.

"Hey, but that's all over now, right? Iida-kun, your brother's fine. But, Deku-kun has nothing to do with him as far as I know. I never met before today. We can't assume the worst of him until we get to know him better. Just...trust me on this one?" The brunette pleaded, looking up at Iida with an unsure smile.

The dark-haired man looked down at his teammate. Despite himself, he grinned at her gently, wiping the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He sighed.

"I'll trust you, Uraraka."


	8. 56/8 Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life has a funny way of making its sinner's pay the price. Good things can happen but they don't last long, do they? Things tend to go awry when third parties involved, especially alcohol, which fucks with reality itself. But, God, he didn't intend for this to happen. Izuku could've sworn he was careful, that it couldn't happen again. But right there, before his very eyes, is the truth. It's happening again and he's terrified. And his screams of pain and agony do nothing to nullify the harsh reality of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind my lame Kingdom Hearts reference for the title.   
Warning you now: there's going to be blood (probably enough to fill at least a quart)   
Part 2 of things getting more graphic than necessary (which I probably just fibbed about (I mean come on-) but oh well)

8 weeks.

56 days.

1,344 hours.

80,640 minutes.

4,838,400 seconds.

Nearly two months have flown by since the "drunken mistake" but Izuku hardly noticed. He didn't take into account of the weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds that flew over his head. Instead, he wallowed in a deep hole of dread and misery, plunging deeper into the rabbit hole as each day started and ended. From the moment the sun rises each day, the emerald-eyed antihero felt anything but fine. His head spun, feeling as if it would fall off of his shoulders and roll onto the carpeted floor of his living room. He felt the way his stomach twisted and turned in the most uncomfortable ways. He quickly grew to hate how fast he bolted from his bed to the bathroom in the middle of the night, the sickening taste of vomit crossing his tastebuds as he threw up into the toilet bowl. Instantly, all of his strength was zapped from his body each time and each time, somehow, nausea always came back at him with full force.

Every day, every morning, every sunrise, Izuku felt like his body was rejecting and torturing him.

The green-haired villain refused to eat breakfast, afraid he would just throw up all over again. But he always came to regret it later when hunger pains struck him. In the time that passed, nothing changed. He only felt worse. In the time that passed, the only good thing that came out of it was the newly found friendships he made with Uraraka and Iida a few weeks prior. Other than that, he cursed everything. This morning, Izuku found himself leaning against the toilet once again. He swears he would just end up marrying it if his stomach doesn't stop sending up what he tries to keep down. Weakly, he reached up for the button and pressed it, flushing down the contents of his stomach and slowly closing the lid of the toilet bowl. The emerald-eyed antihero didn't want to get up. He felt extremely hot, even though the thermostat was set to 70 degrees on cooling. He wanted to press his body against the cool tiles of the bathroom floor but he knew that wasn't an option. The antihero felt dirty after his second round of dry-heaving into the toilet. He desperately needed to brush his teeth to get the awful taste out of his mouth. The man needed to change out of his pajamas into something more decent for the day.

He needed to do a lot and just sitting there wasn't going to get any of it done.

Using whatever strength he had left, Izuku slowly pushed himself off of the floor and stumbled over to the wall, bracing himself against it before bothering to take another step. The antihero took a deep breath, settling nausea slowly pooling in his stomach before stepping foot into his bedroom. Izuku dragged himself to his closet and pulled out a random navy blue t-shirt along with a pair of dark gray pants. He didn't necessarily like that pair, considering each pant leg draped over his feet, but he didn't care. The half-conscious man walked back into the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door behind him. He set his new set of clothes on top of the toilet. Almost immediately, Izuku stripped his pajamas and let them fall to the floor, grabbing his least favorite pair of pants and slipping them on, doing the same with his t-shirt but he stopped when it reached just below his pectoral muscles.

Izuku's grogginess quickly faded once he laid his eyes on his reflection for the first time since he initially ran into the bathroom.

Firstly, he quickly noted he looked like **shit**. His skin was almost completely drained of color, save for the freckles and light blush dusting his cheeks. Beneath his emerald-green orbs were noticeable bags he didn't recall having and his naturally unruly green hair was even more tousled than normal.

Izuku's eyes immediately jumped to his stomach.

His body was always fit and toned no matter what he did. He could gorge on junk food for hours, if he chose to, and still have the prominent muscles his "_occupation_" made him work for. But they were no longer there. The muscles on his abdomen were softer and unseen by the confused antihero. His middle was completely flat minus its slightly rounded appearance. Turning to his side, Izuku quickly picked up on the visible changes to his body, straining his eyes to see the small curves and softer appearance of his figure. His waist was slightly wider than he remembered. The waistband of the pants he recently slipped on _actually fit him_ and didn't sag like they normally would, resting comfortably on his hips. Slowly pulling his shirt down, the emerald-haired man instantly felt the soft cotton pulling tightly against his stomach as it covered his torso. At one point, he remembered the shirt being too big for him, the fabric subtly slipping off of his shoulders. But now, it fit him well...a little _too_ well. The dark-colored top made the tiny swell of his stomach more pronounced the longer he stared at it. It was small, barely noticeable even by him, but Izuku was trained to see even the tiniest details.

_"You need to be fully aware of your environment before you make your next move, Izu-chan. Otherwise, the next step you take would certainly be your last. I wouldn't want to see your beloved body torn and broken by those people who so pridefully call themselves heroes. It would be _**_such_**_ a waste." _He remembered Shigaraki telling him during one of their "training sessions".

Really, they were just the villain's way of having an excuse to touch him in any way he chose, all while Dabi used his brute strength and combat techniques against him, to make him "stronger than ever". Izuku felt himself involuntarily tremble at the sudden flashback, pushing it aside and refocusing on the present.

The man gently placed one of his hands on his stomach and left it there. What he thought was his brain playing cruel and malicious tricks on him instantly became real. The way the gentle curve almost fit perfectly into his hand was a surreal feeling bubbling in his chest. He felt the warmth radiating off of the small swell and a feeling of dread settling into his gut, causing a sudden uprise in panic. An abrupt fear rapidly bubbled up to the surface. Removing his hand away from himself and turning to face the sink, he placed his hands on either side of the sink top and leaned forward, panting heavily and sweat beading on his forehead.

'_It's not real. It's not there. Nothing's there. No...you didn't feel anything. You're hallucinating. It's not there_..' Izuku told himself, frantically running out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. He slammed the door shut and slid down into a sitting position on the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees and hiding his face with his back against the white wooden door.

_'I was careful. I made sure it couldn't happen again. I could've _ ** _sworn_ ** _ I—'_

Nearly as fast as his thoughts were racing through his head, a sharp and excruciating pain erupted in his stomach, causing Izuku to unwrap himself and clutch his middle. His breathing quickly picked up and his heart started beating a million miles a minute. Muscles were contracting inside of his body and tightening with each second he stayed put. It grew more painful the longer he stayed still. It was reaching the point of being unbearable. Izuku hesitantly moved his hands away from his abdomen, got on his hands and knees, and slowly started to crawl towards the other side of his bedroom, much to his body's protests. The green-eyed man whimpered with each limb he moved forward, tears pooling at the edges of his eyes and threatening to spill. The unshed tears quickly blurred his vision slightly but he still managed, even through the immense discomfort.

After what felt like forever, the antihero kneeled in front of a locked box and desperately searched around for the key. He remembered the small metal trinket sitting in one of his drawers but he knew if he made another effort to move, the pain would increase tenfold. With no other ideas, Izuku activated his quirk and ripped the metal lock off with trembling hands, tossing it aside and ignoring the thud that came with it as it got lodged into his wall. Leaning over, he quickly grabbed one of the many syringes he kept hidden and hastily aimed it for a spot on his arm. The green-haired quirk user was barely able to hold up the needle, his hand trembling and shaking violently.

_"Do you know why I'm giving you this, Izuku? Do you want to know the changes we made to your body when you were just a clueless kid, hm?" Shigaraki dragged, tapping the top of the black case with nimble fingers. He smiled darkly at the green-eyed eighteen-year-old, who panted and winced in pain from his spot on the cold metal ground, tears falling from his eyes as he strained to look up at the man._

_"It's simple. You use them whenever you feel the need to. Some are poisonous and others are...helpful, to say the least. Well, they're helping to control your condition. You're only but so far along and already you're about to lose it." The villain stood up from the chair and gently placed the case on top of it, walking over to Izuku and bending down to his level. He placed his fingers on his chin and lifted it to force the younger male to look at him._

_He smiled dryly. "How sad. I was hoping to see the little thing. Guess it just wasn't meant to be." Ignoring the pool of blood coming from in between Izuku's legs, Shigaraki proceeded to pull out a syringe from his back pocket and, without warning, stabbed it into Izuku's arm, hearing the boy scream. It didn't take much longer for him to pass out, falling into his captor's arms._

_Shigaraki looked up at Dabi, who stood with his arms crossed as he watched the scene unfold. He grinned. "It's a shame I won't get to meet the child. Just from looking at the amount of blood," he paused, using his free hand to dip it into the dark liquid and lifting it back up to his eyes, watching it slowly slide down his fingers. "It was weak. It was going to die the moment it was born. But no matter. Izuku's body will certainly be able to conceive another." Gazing directly into Dabi's striking electric blue eyes, Shigaraki's grin turned into a grim smirk._

_"I say it's your turn to have fun with our little sunflower, Dabi. I can only picture what the child would be like if you were its father. For now, we give his body time to recover its loss. Then, this sunflower is all yours for the taking. Be gentle with him. He is pretty..._ ** _delicate_ ** _." Shigaraki said, putting his nose in Izuku's hair and sniffing deeply with a smile._

His grip began to slip and he bit his lip, trying to keep his body still but it was no use.

The pain in his stomach continually increased and showed no signs of stopping, causing the antihero to drop the syringe and letting it roll away. Izuku's hands instinctively found their way back to resting against abdomen as another wave of intense muscle contractions hit him. No longer able to stay upright, Izuku toppled over, collapsing to the floor on his side as he moaned in pain. Suddenly, he felt something sliding from between his legs. The man hesitantly looked down, his eyes widening at what he saw and his breath hitching in his throat.

Blood.

The dark red liquid seeped through his pants and slowly dripped onto the carpet, soaking and tainting it with its disgusting color. Izuku felt he was going to be sick but the feeling was quickly overshadowed by the tightening and contracting of his stomach, the worst one he felt so far. More tears flowed freely from his eyes. When the next wave hit him, Izuku couldn't hold back the screams of agony and suffering leaving his lips.

He wanted to cry for help, wanted to scream for it, but deep down he knew no one would come.

He was alone.

And dammit he hated every second of it.

~

The two pro heroes walked down the sidewalk in comfortable silence, each having their own thoughts running rapidly through their minds.

Neither bothered to exchange words nor start up a conversation.

It was pleasant.

Uraraka gently swayed her arms back and forth, holding a brown paper bag with the nearby coffee shop's logo on it in one of her hands. Todoroki, on the other hand, had his hands stuffed in his coat pockets while he walked beside the go-lucky hero. They were on their way to Midoriya's house to fulfill their duties as "watchdogs", as Kaminari (and apparently the agency) dubbed it. The petite brunette sighed solemnly.

"I haven't seen Deku-kun in a while but I know he's been sick. Hopefully what I bought him this morning would help ease his stomach..." She trailed off, opening the bag and looking down at its contents with worried eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Todoroki questioned. Uraraka folded the bag back down and looked up at the taller man, blinking her brown eyes in surprise.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

She sighed. "As the, quote on quote, _leader _of this group, I'm surprised you don't know about it but I guess the agency doesn't tell us everything, huh?"

"Again, what are you talking about?" Todoroki asked with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Ah, nothing too major. About a month ago, Iida-kun and I were assigned to watch Deku-kun for the day but when we got there, he was dry heaving into the toilet. Ever since then, we've been taking care of him and making sure he doesn't strain himself too much. I'm just...a little worried about him. I know he's capable of handling himself but still." Uraraka looked into the man's eyes, her concern present in her own.

She turned away just as they made it in front of Midoriya's doorstep. Perking up a little, Uraraka walked up to the door and gestured for Todoroki to follow. Using her free hand, she knocked.

"Deku-kun, it's Uraraka!" The brunette exclaimed.

No answer.

Not even the sound of footsteps nearing the door was heard from the other side. Her smile dropping, Uraraka knocked again, a little harder than the previous one.

"Deku-kun, it's me, Uraraka. A-Are you there?"

No response.

She knocked one last time. "Deku-kun! Hey! Are you ok!? It's me! Uraraka..." The brunette hero trailed off, her brown eyes rapidly flossing over with worry and her heartbeat picking up on speed.

"H-He always comes to the door to let Iida-kun and I in, even when he's not feeling his best. But between the last time I saw him and, right now, I don't know what's wrong." She paused and turned to the half-half quirk user. "T-Todoroki-kun, he's not answering. What do we do? Call the agency??"

The man stood there, looking at the front door blankly as his own concern started to grow. Memories from the last time this happened flooded his mind. He tried to convince himself that Midoriya was just asleep but a deeply unsettling feeling inside of him told him otherwise. It was eerily quiet from the opposite side of the door, not a single sound was heard, and everything felt too still. He didn't know why but he himself started to get worried. Instead of answering the petite woman beside him, Todoroki quickly grabbed the house key copy and inserted it into its respective keyhole, hastily turning it and opening the door. Uraraka stood surprised for a moment but ran inside, followed by the taller man as he closed the door shut and locked it. He stuffed the key back into his pocket.

"Midoriya! Where are you!?" Todoroki yelled.

Then, a blood-curdling scream was heard from the end of the hallway. Both pro heroes snapped their heads at the sound then looked at each other, not even bothering to use words to understand the silent conversation:

"_Run_"

Todoroki immediately bolted down the hallway with Uraraka following closely behind him. She expertly threw the bag onto the island and made haste to keep up with the taller hero. His heart was practically beating out of his chest by the time he reached Midoriya's room. With trembling hands, Todoroki turned the doorknob and threw open the door, uncaring of its loud slam against the wall behind it. His eyes desperately searched for the shorter man and once they did, they widened. A pool of blood was beneath Midoriya's limp frame. The green-haired quirk user's hands were resting against his abdomen as they clenched at the thin fabric of his shirt. His forehead was drenched in sweat and he screamed in pain, curling in on himself and completely unaware of the two pro heroes on the opposite side of the room.

Todoroki felt something inside of his chest snap.

He ran over to Midoriya and quickly dropped beside him, gently pulling him up into a sitting position and holding him in his arms. The hero placed his right hand on top of the smaller man's forehead and activated his quirk in an attempt to cool him off. For a brief moment, Midoriya squirmed but quickly relaxed into his hold, his screams silencing into whimpers but refusing to let go of his stomach. The antihero looked up at Todoroki through half-lidded eyes.

"It hurts...it **hurts**...make it s-stop!" Midoriya winced when another wave of pain hit him, tears spilling from his green orbs. "I-I can't do this again...not again...help me...please.." He whimpered out, removing one of his hands from his abdomen and using it to claw desperately at Todoroki's jacket.

The older man couldn't do anything but nod in response. He turned his head to face Uraraka, who looked down at the scene with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth.

"Uraraka!" He yelled, knocking the woman out of her shocked state.

"Call the agency and tell them we have a medical emergency on our hands!! Midoriya's losing blood by the minute and I don't know where it's coming from! Hurry!!" Todoroki exclaimed. The petite woman nodded and ran out of the room to do her part.

Looking back down at the antihero, Todoroki felt a pang in his chest. Without reason, he couldn't bear to see Midoriya in pain. He didn't understand why but he couldn't dwell on that now. He carefully brushed one of Midoriya's soft green bangs away from his face and put the strands of unruly hair behind his ear. The older man then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth, reaching up to the villain's forehead and dabbing away the sweat.

Midoriya whined.

Todoroki did something he never thought he would. He pulled the emerald-eyed quirk user closer to his chest, allowing him to rest his body against him until the paramedics came. Using his free hand, he gently threaded his fingers through the soft curly green hair, trailing his fingers down the shorter male's face and using his thumb to wipe away the tears still spilling from the delicate green orbs.

"It hurts...T-Todoroki-kun...it hurts so much.." Midoriya said in a whisper but the half-half quirk user heard him clearly.

Todoroki shushed him. "I know it hurts, Midoriya, but don't talk too much. Help is on the way. Just...hang on."

The hero silently watched as the shorter man's eyes slowly shut.

A sudden rise of panic erupted in his chest.

"Midoriya! Come on, you've gotta wake up! Don't fall asleep yet!" He exclaimed, a newfound worry bubbling to the surface as he desperately tried to shake the younger male awake.

Midoriya's body went limp in his arms.

Todoroki stopped shaking him and heard the slowing of Midoriya's breath through his slightly parted lips. The color of his skin was draining rapidly as more blood came seeping through his clothing, the dark red liquid finding its way onto Todoroki's pants but he didn't care. He tried calling the younger man's name.

No response.

He felt his heart rate speeding up and the muscle hammering in his chest as his once steady breaths rapidly increased.

"Dammit!!" He yelled, pulling the limp man closer to his body and refusing to let him go. He didn't know what came over him. All he knew was he had to protect him from something but he didn't know what.

Todoroki no longer cared if he was a villain. He didn't care what other people thought about his actions. He didn't care about the smart ass remarks that slipped from the younger man's mouth. He didn't care if what Midoriya did was wrong. Slipping one of his arms beneath Midoriya's legs, Todoroki held him bridal style and stood up, running towards the front of the home. He quickly found the source of the blood between the shorter man's legs but he ignored it, for the time being, making it his mission to leave the house as soon as possible without hesitation. Still holding the younger man, he opened the front door and stopped when he heard Uraraka yell his name.

"Todoroki-kun!! Where are you going? The ambulance is going to be here any minute!!" She exclaimed worriedly.

Not bothering to turn around, Todoroki replied, "They won't get here fast enough, Uraraka. For all we know, the loss of blood could kill him and we need to act fast. I'm going to take him to the hospital myself. We'll notify the agency from there."

"But what about the ankle monitor?!"

Shit. He forgot about that.

Todoroki shook his head. "I'll take my chances. We'll explain the situation to them later but we have to move fast! Midoriya doesn't have much time!"

Running out of the house, the half-half quirk user heard the sound of the perimeter alarms going off the minute he stepped out of the perimeter of Midoriya's home but he ignored it and bolted down the sidewalk. Uraraka wasn't too far behind him, quickly shutting the front door behind her and pulling out her cellphone from her pocket, silently praying that the agency would hurry up and pick up her call. Neither pro hero wanted to fathom the thought of losing the green-haired antihero. Villain or not, he was still human. With their hearts beating rapidly in their chests and breaths leaving their lungs at a rapid pace as they ran down the sidewalk, all they could think about was saving Midoriya's life.

And that's _exactly_ what they were going to do.


	9. Forget Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in a white, sterile, and unfamiliar room was an entirely different ballpark. That's not what scared Izuku, though. It's what brought him here in the first place that did.

_"It hurts...T-Todoroki-kun...it hurts so much" He heard Midoriya whimper in his head._

_The pain in the younger man's voice pulled at his heartstrings, playing a somber melody in his ears on repeat in a never-ending cycle. He remembered that tone. He remembered the sadness and fear-laden voice accompanying the sorrowful sobs and tears streaming from his closed green eyes. He remembered the way the smaller male's eyes shimmered with pain in his orbs. He remembered exactly what Midoriya told him, knowing more than anybody there was truth hidden behind those words._

"_You can always run but you can never hide, not when you have a target attached to you."_

_It reminded him of his own childhood, not that he truly had one. His father took that away the moment he was born as "the perfect offspring" to replace him and surpass All Might. Todoroki could easily recall the torturous hours of training and abuse he and his siblings were forced to endure. He remembered how much pain he felt in his stomach after his father punched him hard. He remembered the bile in his throat forcing its way out. He remembered the brokenness of his mother's voice when she pleaded for his father to "stop torturing her son."_

_He especially remembered the night his mother burned him, all because of his bastard of a father. He hated the man with all of his heart and swore to himself he would never stop running from him._

_But there was only so much he could run from when a target was expertly stitched onto his back. _

_Just like Midoriya._

_Midoriya._

_Something was different about him._

_He didn't seem like the person he wants people to believe he is._

_The antihero seems..._ ** _softer_ ** _, in a sense. To Todoroki, he's less of a villain and more of a victim, if his ability to submit was anything to go by. But...that's just it. He's a villain_ _ but _ _that word doesn't fit him. It just..._ ** _doesn't_ ** _. Todoroki could easily recall the easy-going grins and soft smiles he'd get from the younger man on occasion within the last two months he knew him, the memories just ingraining themselves into his mind and painting a permanent picture in his head. _  
_Underneath the nasty attitude and horrible actions, there was a beautiful person, the true Midoriya that's been forced to hide beneath an illusion. _ _It was so much that it left Todoroki confused._

_Midoriya's a villain and he's a hero. _ _But, was that really true?_

_When he found Midoriya, he didn't find the green-haired antihero who cared about nobody but himself and who dared to toy with heroes out in the open. No. He found someone completely new. _ _He found a broken version of that same man, tears pooling from his eyes and fear rooted deeply in them. Todoroki didn't see Deku. He saw Midoriya,_ _ the real one_ _. The Midoriya he bore witness to pleaded and begged for his help, not as a hero but as someone who could support him, somebody that could save him from whatever's causing him pain._

_And from that moment, Todoroki felt himself connecting with Midoriya. He saw himself in the younger man and he felt the urge to save him. _ _He didn't completely understand._

_"_ _Todoroki-kun._ _" He remembered the younger man call him._

_Todoroki-kun.._

"Todoroki-kun!!!"

Todoroki was brought out of his trance, snapping his head up and making eye contact with Uraraka, who had her eyebrows knitted in worry and her arms crossed over her chest.

The two pro heroes patiently waited in the waiting room. The atmosphere in there was...tense, to say the least. Nobody was talking. It was silent and still. People sat quietly in the chairs, some tapping their feet in an anxiously while others mumbled silently to themselves or to the person next to them. They were just as tense as they waited to hear any good news about the antihero. Four hours passed since they rushed him to the hospital.

It felt longer to both of them.

Not long ago, Aizawa and Toshinori arrived at the hospital only to get ushered upstairs by the agency's doctors directly to Midoriya's room. Iida joined Todoroki and Uraraka as soon as he got the call from their high school teachers to "_meet at the hospital ASAP_" but he seemed to be contemplating something the minute the brunette greeted him. The dark-haired man barely said a word since he arrived, sitting awfully silent in the chair on Todoroki's left side.

The petite woman frowned. "Hey, are you ok? You've been acting strange since we got here." She sat down in the seat on the right side of him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. She briefly looked at Iida and felt a sigh slip past her lips. "Actually, scratch that. You both have been acting strange since we got here. But I noticed you're acting stranger than Iida is, Todoroki-kun."

He looked down at his feet and refused to look at Uraraka. The man exhaled deeply.

"Do you think...Midoriya...will be alright?" He asked, surprising himself and the two other pro heroes beside him.

Uraraka didn't know how to respond. She wanted to tell him things would be ok but from what she witnessed earlier, she wasn't entirely sure he would believe her. She couldn't even believe herself. The woman feared for Midoriya's—her _friend's_ life. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he _wasn't_. In the two months they've known each other, Uraraka already concluded she would die for Midoriya if the situation called for it and she somehow knew, deep down, he felt the same. She wanted to convince herself the green-haired male was fine and ready to live to see the next day but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she bit back her tears, slowly pulling Todoroki's limp body into her arms and holding him there.

Iida finally gazed up and saw the underlying sorrow present in Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes. He didn't want to admit it but he felt that same sorrow in his own heart. He never wanted to become friends with the young villain but just like Uraraka, he quickly became fond of the younger man, learning that he enjoys his company and would do anything just to protect him from the unknown. A sigh of defeat escaped his lips as the man stood from his seat, looking down at the two younger heroes with sad eyes.

"Only time will tell, Todoroki. For now, we must wait." Iida said, running a hand through his short locks in frustration and worry. Earlier when he visited the unconscious antihero, the dark-haired man felt a wave of guilt hit him.

He felt he should've been there to help Midoriya.

He should've been there to help his friend.

But just like in high school, his teammates came in to save the day while he was off to the side laying useless and unable to provide aid. Iida clenched his teeth as he bit back his own tears threatening to spill.

He wished he could've been there for him.

He wished he was stronger for his two younger comrades, who showed signs of distress with the situation.

He prayed Midoriya would wake up. 

~

_"Do you know how beautiful you are? How much you're worth? Are you aware of how many people would kill _ _for you to be their's_ _?" Shigaraki said lowly into Izuku's ear, slowly trailing his fingers up and down his body._

_Izuku clamped his mouth shut._

_"I don't think you do. You see, Izuku, you're very important to us, important to me, most importantly. You're part of the reason our research has gone as far as it has. Just imagine having a tiny human growing and thriving inside of you." The villain traced his fingers down the seventeen-year-old's chest, the nimble limbs settling against Izuku's toned stomach._

_"Imagine all of the possibilities a single pregnancy could result in. Your body is the key to it all, Izuku. You have the potential to _ ** _change_ ** _ modern medicine for generations. Do you know how special that makes you?"_

_The emerald-eyed teen forcefully pushed Shigaraki's hand away from his middle, taking a step back from the man and glaring daggers at him. He clenched his teeth._

_"I already told you. I'm not going to help you. If you even _ ** _think_ ** _ about implanting something else into my body, I _ ** _will_ ** _ destroy every single bit of _ _that _ _data in this damn place!" Izuku threatened._

_Shigaraki's smile widened. "Oh, look at you. You've finally grown up. How cute." He quickly walked up behind the younger male and held a tight grip on_ _the teen's wrist_ _s, _ _pinning them tightly against his back and pulling Izuku against him. He put his lips against the boy's ear._

_"You don't understand how this works, do you? I'm not giving you a choice. I'll have you know the data collected is in a _ ** _very_ ** _ safe place. Not even your childish hands can reach it." Shigaraki found himself grinning. "You already lost, Izuku. Many people are already lined up for that data, ready to get their greedy hands on it. It's almost complete. All we have to do now is get you to conceive. It shouldn't be that hard, now should it?"_

_Izuku tried to activate his quirk but the effort was futile. As he attempted to pull his wrists apart, he quickly noticed the cuffs tightly binding them together. He felt his blood starting to boil. Those cuffs completely nullified his quirk, rendering it entirely useless._

_The teen cursed himself._

_"Ah, so you've noticed? Took you longer than I thought. Though, I must say, what I'm about to tell you is...a little private. Come now, Izuku. Let's have a little chat." Shigaraki informed, grabbing Izuku's cuffed wrists and dragging him to a smaller room on the opposite side. The teenager desperately tried to struggle and set himself free but nothing he did work. It was going to happen again._

_And he couldn't do anything to stop it._

His scarred fingers twitched and grasped themselves to the thin white sheet beneath his body. He grew confused.

Where was he exactly?

The last thing he remembered was being stuck at home, _alone_, with the unbearable pain serving as a reminder that he was only _partially_ alone. He knew what was inside of him. He knew he was the cause of it. He thought no one was going to save him from the thing causing him misery, in other words, the tinier version of himself. He truly believed he was going to lose it and it would've been his fault. He was going to lose the tiny thing and he was alone as it started. But when the two pro heroes came, everything changed.

He barely remembered the comforting words Todoroki uttered to him as his mind went hazy. He could barely recall the soothing voice the heterochromatic hero spoke to him with. He could clearly remember the way Todoroki's arms felt around him, a warmth he knew the man had surrounding his aching and pained body as his muscles spasmed and contracted in an attempt to "save his life". No, he knew better than that. He knew his body was trying to save his life in exchange for forcefully giving up the one that barely had the chance to grow. By this point, he's almost positive it already happened. He knew he shouldn't have had his hopes up.

Wanting to grieve his loss, Izuku refused to open his eyes. He didn't want to see the tiny clump of what was supposed to be a baby lying in a thick pool of his blood.

He couldn't do it.

Not again.

But what pulled him out of his expanding hole of misery and despair was the beeps he heard beside him. For a second, the man was confused. He thought he was at home, lying in his bed with no one there besides him to watch him wake up. He believed he was all alone. He thought Uraraka and Todoroki left him to let him recover but then he remembered neither hero would do that. Still, Izuku was skeptical but he couldn't resist the urge to slowly open one of his eyes with the other opening not too long after.

Everything around him was blurred and hazy. He was instantly blinded by the bright white light hanging above his head. Izuku instinctively squinted his eyes to block out the offending light. Izuku's nose was hit with the smell of a sterile room with the strong scent of rubbing alcohol, not with the distinct smell of blood he recalled from earlier. He was hesitant but the man slowly craned his neck to the side, coming face to face with machines and monitors beeping softly near his ear. He quickly noticed an IV attached to his arm and the end of a heart monitor clamped onto his middle finger. It was then that he was able to piece together he was in a hospital. Though he initially thought he was left alone in the room, he heard the door shut softly and a woman walking towards him with gentle eyes. She looked down at the bedridden antihero and smiled.

"I'm glad to see you're finally awake, Midoriya-san. I was worried you lost a lot more blood than when you were brought in earlier." As she spoke, the nurse turned away from him briefly to switch out the IV bag for the newer one she held in her hand. She looked back down at Izuku and smiled sadly.

"Even though we managed to save the fetus, their condition isn't as stable as we would like it to be, well according to the last time we checked. Now that you're awake, it might be different.."

With a gasp, the woman grinned widely, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet as excitement spread through her body. "Oh, I've been wanting to do this since I got trained for it!" The nurse exclaimed.

As quickly as she burst with excitement, she calmed herself down and took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly before readjusting her posture. "Uh...right. Gotta remain professional. But I'll be right back. I'm just going to grab the doctor and I'll bring in the equipment."

The black-haired woman pivoted towards the entrance and placed her hand securely around the knob. Before she opened the door, the woman turned around with an apologetic smile. "Oh, I'm being rude. I forgot to introduce myself." She walked back over to Izuku and held out her hand.

"Hello. Please call me Nurse Shuzenji. I'm going to be your nurse for the duration of your stay." The nurse smiled gently and shook the green-haired man's hand. "If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to page me using the contact button located beside your head. I'll be back in a few minutes with the doctor. Rest for a bit." She said as she released the antihero's hand and rushed back to the door.

Izuku turned his head away as the woman left the room with a click of the door behind her. He sighed heavily, unconsciously resting his hands over his stomach.

Everything was happening so fast. He swore he was going to get left in the dust of it all. The kind nurse spoke to him a million miles a minute but his mind was only able to pick up what he truly wanted to hear: it survived. The antihero thought his ears were playing tricks on him or his mind was still hazy but no, the evidence was clear to him now that he was fully aware of his surroundings. The way his fingers were pressed up against the small gentle curve of his stomach made him realize he wasn't imagining things. Something in his chest bubbled to the surface.

Was it excitement? Fear? Dread?

He couldn't tell, really. But whatever it was, it sent a warm feeling through his body and allowed him to relax. It was...nice. He truly felt human and not like a science experiment. Izuku moved his hands across the barely noticeable swell, releasing a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding. He wasn't delusional. And his body confirmed it for him. But the antihero couldn't relish in the welcoming feeling for long. Dread set into his system with the impending future racing through his mind. Izuku knew this is what _they_ wanted to happen. He knew the League of Villains, primarily Shigaraki, wanted this to happen but the first few attempts failed. Now that he's carrying, the older man wouldn't hesitate to find him and "_finish his research_" to sell it to anybody willing to reach their grabby-greedy hands onto it.

That's not what he feared the most.

If he grew attached, Izuku knew all he was doing was setting himself up for heartbreak. The League would take it away from him as soon it's born to create the "_perfect weapon_", as Shigaraki told him once. Something inside of him wanted nothing to do with it just to keep his heart from being ripped into shreds. Even deeper than that, his heart wanted to protect and love it so much to the point his heart bursts with happiness. Izuku wrapped his arms around his stomach protectively as he nibbled at his bottom lip. He didn't know what to do. At the end of all of this, all his mind chose to see was the destruction and chaos ensuing and bursting into flames, all of that beginning with the small thing growing inside of him.

He couldn't see the bright side. All he could see was darkness and deep splotches of pain and despair.


	10. Conflicted Thoughts — Conflicted Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The loss of a baby really fucked him up, didn't it? Though he should feel blessed by the cursed gift of another, Izuku feels nothing but indifference. He feels conflicted. He wants and he doesn't want. He's scared but he's fighting. He's elated but dreadful. Telling himself, and his friends, a lie only broke his heart further, leaving him a wreck. Todoroki feels another level of confliction. Consider this your cliche "drunken sex leading to an unplanned pregnancy" or consider it a tragedy but is it truly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this will draw some tears but prepare for some just in case. The heartbreak of a lost lover is nothing compared to heartbreak of a soon-to-be father losing his child, only to bear the pain and fear of another. (Wow, someone quote me on that)

Head rested against the soft-plush pillow, green curls tousled on top of his head, knees curled close to his chest, comforter bunched up at his feet, face flushed with a tint of pink, body warmer than it should be, emerald eyes droopy but refused to shut, and thoughts raced back and forth. His body ached, sharp pains traveling every now and then. He felt his headache was on the verge of threatening to split his skull cleanly open while his stomach tightened with the familiar feeling of nausea running up his throat. His back caused him the most pain with the knots he felt deeply rooted at the base of his back. He felt awful and he didn't want to move.

Instead, Izuku further curled in on himself, willing the icky feeling to leave him alone. He already knew that wasn't going to happen if the last few hours were anything to go by. His heart sped up in fear of having another near-miscarriage, the sensations he felt in his body all too familiar to him by this point but his brain caught up.

Why would he be scared?

It didn't matter what happened to _it_...did it?

He clenched his stomach in an almost protective manner, not fully aware of what he was doing. It felt natural but so foreign. From his curled position on the plush mattress, Izuku eyed the prenatal vitamins sitting on top of the dark oak nightstand, his body practically screaming at him to take them. His mind told him otherwise.

_"Your baby's life was hanging on a thread. I'm relatively surprised it managed to hang on despite being placed under stressful conditions. I hate to be cliché but it is a miracle, Midoriya-kun." The doctor said, a fond smile plastered onto his face as he worked to remove the gel on Izuku's stomach._

_"Though it's not rare, it's certainly not common for fetuses to survive a near-miscarriage. Unfortunately, they usually just...die simply because they aren't strong enough. It's sad to know and I'm grateful that this one," He paused, motioning to the black and white blob on the ultrasound scan. "Has the will of a fighter, a _ ** _hero_ ** _, even." The doctor chuckled to himself. Briefly looking down at the antihero, his grin faltered._

_The middle-aged man picked up on the tension in Izuku's shoulders, silently noting the way the young man's eyes were dull and full of confliction. He opened his mouth with the words on the tip of his tongue but he held them back. Instead, the doctor sighed softly and turned back to face the computer screen._

_"For my reference, I'm going to print out today's scan and keep it on file for you. Um...would you like a copy to keep, Midoriya-kun?" The doctor asked hesitantly._

_Izuku felt himself automatically nodding 'yes'._

_"Alright, then. I'll be right back with those as well as a prescription for some prenatal vitamins." Pressing 'print', the man rushed over to the door and placed his hand on the metal knob but before he could leave, he stopped himself._

_Turning to Izuku, he looked at the green-eyed villain with sadness. The doctor pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat._

_"Look, uh, you don't have to make a decision immediately but...if you wish to terminate the pregnancy, it's um...up to you, Midoriya-kun." The older male said with reluctance as he left the room._

If he wished to terminate the pregnancy, it was his choice.

The quicker it was over with, the quicker the guilt could eat away at him until he finally moves on. He would be able to pretend it never happened, much like the first time but who is he kidding? Ever since then, Izuku's never been able to let it go. He still holds on with an extremely tight grip and bites at the hands that try to pry him off of the memories. He clenched his fist and bit back the tears he felt welling in his green eyes. No, he wouldn't cry, he's done that enough. Unclenching his hand, the young man slowly sat up, almost immediately getting hit with a wave of nausea.

In an instant, Izuku leaned against the headboard, panting heavily through his slightly parted lips and ignoring the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He felt the bile slowly rising up his throat but he willed it to go back down. If anything, he silently wished for all of this to be over. It wasn't long before his stomach settled but the green-haired man knew it would be long before he could rest. His body was aching and sore from all of the pokings and prodding the doctor had done to ensure his baby was healthy.

_His_ baby.

Without thought or hesitation, Izuku's hands flew to his stomach, where the small baby bump hid snug beneath his shirt. In a few months, even less than that, the unborn infant would undoubtedly continue to grow and his bump would continually swell to accommodate the growth. Still, it felt small in his hands. Very small. He wasn't sure how long it's been since the near-miscarriage but he knew it must've been some time. Izuku's belly was slightly larger than he remembered but it could still easily be hidden away from the world's judgmental and curious eyes. He involuntarily shuddered. Just the thought of people witnessing his body throughout his pregnancy was enough to make Izuku fear the worse.

People could target him...and his baby. The man grew anxious, wrapping his arms around his small belly protectively.

Deep down, he knew there was another way to avoid all of it—end the pregnancy before it gets too far. Though he knows it's the more suitable option to go with, his heart ached painfully at the thought. Izuku knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it. But that brings up more unanswered questions for him to find the answer to what would happen if the League of Villains found out about the pregnancy?

What if Shigaraki and Kurogiri learned of their project's success?

What would happen, to...the baby, he carried?

And worst of all, Izuku knew he wouldn't be strong enough to protect the child. He knew he wasn't even strong enough to save himself. But he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind when he heard the doorbell ring. His instincts kicked in and the next thing he knew, Izuku was on his feet, quirk activated, and slowly advancing towards the front door. One hand was clenched tightly shut, bright green lightning surrounded it. His other hand was resting against his abdomen, a gesture to protect the little one.

Once he was close enough, Izuku stood on his tippy toes, only to be met with two dark figures outside of his door, at least that's what they appeared as against the dark night sky. Moving his hand from his stomach, the man placed it on the doorknob and readied himself to fight someone off. In one swift movement, the antihero opened the door, swinging his fist but stopped it before it could make contact with the person in front of him. Izuku focused his attention and quickly recognized the brunet bob and pink clothing the woman wore.

Uraraka's eyes were wide as she held her hands up in surrender, staring at the scarred knuckles dangerously close to her face. A crooked smile played on her lips.

"Deku-kun, h-hi!!" She squealed, cursing herself for her voice cracking. Behind her, Iida stood there, arms crossed and an amused half-grin.

Izuku blinked. He deactivated his quirk and dropped his hands to either side of him, feeling himself wobble a little as he struggled to maintain a sense of balance. The antihero knew he was going to fall but Uraraka was much quicker, catching the falling male and holding him in her arms. The woman's shock rapidly turned into concern.

"D-Deku-kun! Hey, are you ok???" She questioned, her heart's previously rapid pace slowing down when she saw her friend slowly put his weight back on his feet. Though he was still slightly off-balance, Izuku managed to lean himself up against the doorframe. He looked at the petite hero and gave her a smile.

"Yeah, I'm better."

"Better? You weren't feeling too well?"

He shook his head. "This," Pausing, Izuku's hand rested against his bump out of habit. "Isn't..._easy_ to get used to, I guess."

Uraraka nodded in understanding and grinned.

"It'll pass eventually. Hopefully in about another month. The doctor said all of these yucky feelings should disappear as soon as you hit the four-month mark. You're three months already so you don't have to wait much longer." She heard the antihero sigh and stifled her laugh.

"Oh, sorry for startling you. I tried calling you earlier to let you know we were coming but then I _forgot_ you have the phone the agency gave you and..uh... that thing has seen better days.." The woman sweatdropped.

"May we come in?"

Izuku nodded, making enough room for the two pro heroes to enter into his home, following not far behind them and shutting the door. After locking it, he joined them in his living room with Uraraka sitting on the loveseat and Iida opting to stand near the bookshelf. The villain slowly sat down on the couch opposite to the pink-clad woman, sighing in relief when he felt his aching muscles sink into the cushions.

He had to will himself not to fall asleep.

"Deku-kun?" Uraraka called.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry...about all of this.."

Hearing that, Izuku sat up a little straighter, both him and Iida directing their attention to the petite woman, who hung her head low, not looking up at either of the two men in front of her. Iida gazed down at Izuku and Izuku gazed up at Iida. They shared a similar gaze before looking back at Uraraka. The green-haired man was just as confused as the tall pro hero. He didn't know how to respond. Instead, he drifted his gaze down, his eyes landing on his slightly protruding stomach. That's when he understood.

He gently rested his hand against his belly, rubbing random patterns against it. A soft sigh left his lips.

"It's not your fault. If anything...it's mine. I...should've been more careful but, of course, I was reckless." He chuckled dryly, his eyes still focused on his rounded abdomen. "I started this mess by being an idiot, Uraraka-san, Iida-kun. But whatever." Izuku shrugged. "It's not like I'm going to keep it."

Uraraka's head instantly shot up, her brown eyes going wide in confusion as she gazed at the pregnant antihero.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I'm going to have an abortion." Izuku felt his heart shatter into pieces. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and nausea found its way back into his system but he pushed it down, a sickening feeling settling in his stomach and leaving behind an awful taste in his mouth.

The look on Uraraka's face when he looked up only intensified the feeling. It was a mixture of shock, hurt, and fear, all of the things he felt one too many times before. He's used to feeling those things but seeing them manifested on someone else's face made him guilty. Even Iida displayed his concern, looking down at him with furrowed eyebrows and worried sharp blue eyes behind his thin-framed glasses. Uraraka opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Instead, she took a deep breath and willed herself to speak.

"Are you...are you _really_ going to do it, Deku-kun?"

Izuku didn't answer. He looked down and placed his hands in his lap, refusing to look up at either of the pro heroes. When she saw his reluctance, Uraraka continued carefully.

"I just...Just know that whatever you choose," she paused, standing up and slowly making her way over to the green-haired antihero, who remained completely still. She hesitantly sat beside him and rested her hand on his thigh.

"...whatever decision you choose to make, Iida and I will be there to support you _every_ step of the way. I promise." Uraraka admitted sadly.

Still, the villain refused to look up. His thoughts kept him locked inside his head.

_'What am I doing?' _He thought to himself.

_'What am I saying? What am I thinking? Could I really—? _Unconsciously, his hands wrapped themselves around his growing midsection, protectively hiding the bump away from anyone's eyes.

_'But...why should it matter what I do with...it?They're going to take it away. What's the point in saving a life that's just going to be lost? The faster I get rid of it, the safer it'll be. Maybe it's better that way. I don't need it. It doesn't need me. It's just a burden, another reason to let it go. Even if I wanted it...I couldn't protect it...It'll die before I even get the chance to see it, to meet it...to see my baby's face...my baby..'_

"I want...my baby.." he choked out in a whisper. A single tear fell down his cheek. The antihero kept back a sob threatening to leave him and bit his bottom lip hard but it wasn't enough. More tears followed. He tried to calm himself down but he couldn't. He couldn't do it.

Izuku inhaled sharply. With each breath he took, his chest tightened painfully. His head was throbbing and he suddenly felt weak, like he would keel over. It felt like his throat was threatening to close with each sob he held back. He didn't want to breakdown, not again. He didn't want to seem weak or make himself look weaker. But in the end, he cried, absentmindedly clutching his stomach and safeguarding the unborn infant as best as he could.

Was he panicking?

Is this his form of coping?

Why did it hurt so much?

He felt foolish. There was nothing to protect them from. No, there was a lot he needed to protect his child from.

Still, he found himself being pulled in two directions.

He wants to get rid of the infant, to keep it from the harm waiting for it once it's born. It'll be easier for him. His colleagues, if he could even consider them that, in the League would no doubt take his baby away from him to finish the project they started. But his heart wants more, so _much_ more.

Izuku wants, desperately _needs_ the little life growing inside of him. He was willing to give everything and anything to see their happy smiling face or hear their giggles. He wants to hold them in his arms and never let go. His heart swelled as each day passed in his pregnancy, even if he refused to admit it. He wants to feel them moving around and be intrigued by every single kick, turn, or tumble. He wants to love them with everything he has and give them the world. But most of all, he wants to protect them from the world, keep them away from the harsh, cruel things the world gives just like it gave him.

It was obvious to him that the pros outweighed the cons but, God, it felt like his mind was being split in two.

His body trembled as he sobbed. He cried with his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his arms wrapped securely around his abdomen. Izuku felt two pairs of arms wrap around his lean body. He felt tears landing on his shoulder but he didn't care. Izuku didn't want to think anymore. All he wanted was for his friends to continue to hold him in their arms, silently telling him "_it's ok_" through their warmth and comfort. He never moved his hands away from his belly. No, he kept them there, stubbornly tightening his grip in fear and anxiety. His heart was beating so fast and breathing began to hurt but he didn't care.

Izuku felt his heartbreaking from his endless thoughts. They wouldn't leave him alone. But neither did his friends.

Uraraka pulled the green-haired male closer against her chest, her own tears falling onto his trembling body. Her heart clenched painfully at the sight but there was only so much she knew she could do. Iida hugged his two younger companions closer to him, whispering words of comfort in their ears.

Izuku's sobs were the only sound in the room. 

~

She silently watched the man staring at the words in front of him, not really reading them but just...staring, almost glaring at them. Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Todoroki, what's on your mind?" Yaoyorozu called from the couch.

The half-half quirk user closed the book gently. He didn't look at the black-haired woman for a few moments. Instead, he looked ahead of him, jaw clenched and hands clasped together.

"Are you still thinking about what happened at the hospital?" The woman asked, worry laced in her tone.

Todoroki remained quiet.

_Aizawa gently closed the hospital room door, walking over to three young pro heroes and Toshinori while he looked down at his feet. He clenched his fists in his pockets and gazed up at his comrades. _ _There was a long moment of silence before he spoke._

_"It's official. The kid's having a baby."_

_Toshinori sat up straighter in his seat. He almost didn't want to believe it but after what Recovery Girl told him, how could he not? He made eye contact with Aizawa._

_"..How's he handling it?" He asked._

_"Pretty well, surprisingly. Though, he seemed a bit robotic when the doctor was telling me about it." The black-haired man shrugged. "Maybe in shock."_

_"W-What do you mean, Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka questioned, her big brown eyes filled with confusion._

_Aizawa looked at his _ _ex-_ _student with a poker face. "He's pregnant."_

_"No! I understand that it's just..."_

_He squinted his eyes at the young woman till it dawned on him. "You mean how?" She rapidly nodded her head._

_Shifting his gaze, they landed on Todoroki, the young man looking anywhere else but his old teacher. His mind was trying to wrap itself around the situation and make sense of it b_ _ut none of it made sense._ _ He was still at a loss. The older quirk user sighed._

_"Well, it's not my business to tell. Todoroki, would you want to tell them?" No response. Aizawa quirked an eyebrow._

_"Uravity, Ingenium, follow me. Let's give these two a moment." He said, walking down the hallway with the two pro heroes following not too far behind him, leaving Toshinori and Todoroki behind in silence._

_The older man turned his head to face the younger quirk user. He noted Todoroki's tense shoulders, clenched jaw, hard eyes, and clasped hands, his mouth resting up against them. Todoroki's leg bounced up and down repetitively to an invisible beat. Toshinori furrowed his eyebrows in concern for the latter. Cautiously, he gently placed his hand on top of the icy-hot hero's jittery leg, watching it as it came to a slowing still and the heterochromatic eyes of the young pro hero meeting his own. He sighed._

_"This isn't your fault. You wouldn't have known." Toshinori didn't get a response. "Are you angry about what happened that night?"_

_Silence._

_Another sigh left his lips. "Listen, I will never truly understand_ _ how you must've felt_ _. _ _Things...spiraling out of control the way they did but _ _I will always understand what it's like to feel conflicted with myself." Toshinori said, moving his hand to rest it on the other man's shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze._

_"I want you to know that whatever happens, you don't have to accept the child. At the same time, I want you to be there for Midoriya, despite your differences. He won't admit it but he needs help. He can't do this alone. I made the mistake and left him in the hands of someone who hurt him..." The older man said sadly, briefly turning his head away and biting back his tears. He quickly composed himself and faced the half-half quirk user._

_"I'm disappointed about what he did to you but I know it wasn't on purpose. Midoriya would never hurt anyone unless he had to. I'm not telling you to brush it off as nothing but please...be careful with him? Protect him, _ ** _save_ ** _ him, if you must." Toshinori pleaded, grabbing both of Todoroki's shoulders and looking at the latter straight into his heterochromatic orbs._

_"I want you to do what I couldn't. Please.."_

"Todoroki?" He looked up, staring directly into the deep dark eyes of his friend. Yaoyorozu gazed back down at him.

When did she get over here?

Was he really _that_ out of it?

Sighing, she sat down on the chair next to the brooding man, her worried look still visible on her face.

"Hey. Talk to me." She said. "I want to help you as best as I can, but I can't do that without knowing what you're thinking."

"...I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

Todoroki took a deep breath before he spoke. "All Might...he said something I found strange."

_"I made the mistake and left him in the hands of someone who hurt him..."_

"I've been trying to understand what he meant by that but I don't know what it means."

Yaoyorozu nodded her head. "This might be a bit of a stretch but maybe All Might knows more about Midoriya than he let on? It wasn't too long ago that we found out he's pregnant, Todoroki. Neither of our teachers was surprised by that." She informed. "But how are you feeling about the whole..._becoming a father_ thing? Nervous? Excited, for some reason?"

"...I don't know." Todoroki admitted, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. "The child wasn't created from love, Yaoyorozu. They were made from the souls of broken people. They were made from the blood of a hero and a villain, a victim.." He trailed off, turning his gaze to look at the black-haired woman. "I don't hate or love them."

"That's better than hearing you say you hate the baby," Yaoyorozu said with a small smile on her face. "See? You're not as heartless and cold as you thought you were."

Todoroki rolled his eyes but found himself chuckling. "I guess so. Still, All Might asked me to do something for him."

"And what would that be?"

"He asked me to be careful with Midoriya, protect him, and save him, if I must. He wants me to do what he couldn't." Todoroki gazed down at his book and started playing with its pages. "What should I do?"

For a moment, the dark-eyed quirk user said nothing. She stared at her hands for a moment before giving him an answer.

"Do what he asks. All Might didn't ask much of us in high school. He was always a pretty independent guy. But, something tells me he may have a reason for asking, especially you."

"Even if I don't know why?

Yaoyorozu nodded. "Sometimes, as both a hero and a person, we may never know why. Maybe one day, you'll know why but I guess it isn't the right time."

The older man simply nodded his response. His thoughts continued running rapidly through his mind but he knew Yaoyorozu was right.

_"I want you to do what I couldn't. Please.."_

_'I promise. I won't fail you...All Might..'_


	11. Painful Recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It only seemed like yesterday when they were kids; one green-haired nerd and a cocky little blonde bastard. It felt like hours when his heart would pound ruthlessly against his chest at the sight of the younger boy. He thought he had a quirk that could make his heart beat quick like that. That's what six-year-old Bakugou believed. It wasn't until his fourteen-year-old self realized what that meant the day that damned nerd disappeared, not a single trace of his existence left behind. That's when Bakugou experienced his first loss. Now older and wiser than his raging teenage self, Bakugou thought he forgot about him. Life sure has a funny way of proving him wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love a busy life, huh? No time for anything I wanna do ;;-;;

His foot tapped repetitively against the hardwood floor, sharp ruby eyes fixated on the framed photo in his hands. His jaw clenched tightly. He remembers the day the picture was taken almost perfectly.

_It was a trip to Hirosaki Castle Park, known to be one of the best spots for viewing cherry trees in the Tohoku region, at least that's what his father told him. He only remembered tidbits of what his dad told him about the park. Everything else, he blocked out, dubbing it as "boring" and only half-listening to the brunet. The moment his little ears picked up on the word "castle" from his father's mouth, he begged, nearly demanded, to go see it. His mother rolled her eyes at the vague request but she still possessed a half-smile on her face. It wasn't rare his mother smiled but when she did, the young blonde felt a sense of pride swell in his chest. He then bragged to his father that he "made mom smile more than he ever could"._

_His father flashed a look of hurt on his face briefly but soon found himself laughing at his son's antics, reaching over and ruffling the spiky hair on his head. He grumbled at that._

_His dad, being the "hopeless and lame romantic he is", as his mom said, arranged for a visit to the park, much to his excitement. His mom was the blunt one about it, saying something along the lines of "it's a place for the lousy lovers to visit under a starry sky and kiss under the moon or some shit". He wasn't blind. He could easily see the grin playing on her lips. Still, he knew he couldn't go without inviting his friend. No, he _ ** _refused _ ** _to go without the other boy, much to his parents' dismay._

_He threw a tantrum, which got him slapped in the end by his mother, but it was worth it when the blonde woman called the younger boy's mom. And when the day came for them to pack their bags and head to Tohoku, Bakugou Katsuki finished before either of his parents could. Really, he stuffed his clothes in his book bag and threw it down the staircase, which would've gotten him in trouble if his mom wasn't being so generous that morning._

_And now here they were, enjoying the sun shining and wind gently blowing past them. He heard his friend giggle beside him only for Bakugou to call him a girl for that. The younger boy merely rolled his eyes and stopped mid-walk, causing the red-eyed blonde to crash into him._

_He growled. "Hey, Deku! What are you doing!?"_

_"Look!" The shorter boy yelled happily._

_Eyebrows furrowed together, the six-year-old followed his younger companion's chubby little finger. The boy pointed directly to one of the many cherry blossom trees in the area. Bakugou turned and eyed him in disbelief._

_"We've been seeing those all day. How many more of those do you plan to show me??" He heard a snort._

_"As many times as I see them, Kacchan." The five-year-old responded. "Come on, don't you think they're pretty?"_

_"That's what sissies say..."_

_"Hey! I'm not a sissy!"_

_"You've been acting like one since we got here."_

_"Have not!"_

_"Have to!"_

_Deku grumbled and crossed his arms, turning his body away from the slightly taller boy with a huge pout on his face. Bakugou rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into either pocket of his jacket._

The man found himself gripping the frame tighter with one hand and threading his fingers through his hair with the other. He gripped at his blonde locks.

"Damned nerd..." He whispered to himself, biting at his lower lip. Bakugou felt his eyes begin to sting and he bit harder. He hastily set the old picture down onto the coffee table and grasped either side of his head tightly in his hands. The ruby-eyed hero tightly shut his eyes.

_"What the hell are we doing here?" Fourteen-year-old Bakugou half-yelled, glaring daggers at the younger green-haired boy beside him._

_The setting sun painted hues of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples in the delicate autumn sky, a nice gentle breeze whisked through the early autumn air, colorful leaves of red, orange, yellow, and brown decorated the green grass beneath their feet, and the trees with falling leaves swayed their branches in the light wind. Just beyond the old playground they used to play in, the two teens stood beside a river passing through, one fully admiring the settling dusk and the other practically glaring at it. He heard the other boy laugh._

_"To enjoy the sunset. Why else?" Deku finally responded after a few moments of silence._

_Bakugou clicked his tongue. "Sissy."_

_"I'm not a sissy!"_

_"You haven't proved me wrong once, you damned nerd." The blonde stuffed his hands into his pockets. "The day you do is probably when we're old and dead."_

_"Kacchan!"_

_The older teen smirked, leaning forward and inching his face closer to his shorter companion. "What? Gonna do something about it?"_

_Deku's face instantly flushed scarlet, throwing his hands up in front of him and flailing them in embarrassment. He turned away with a deep pout on his lips._

_"N-No. Why are you so close?"_

_"Does it matter?"_

_"A little..."_

_Bakugou narrowed his eyes. He didn't see an issue with it. All he did was lean close into the idiot's space to intimidate him and _ ** _oh_ ** _— Against his will, the older teen's cheeks gradually grew red in color, the hue reaching his ears and warming his face. Now that he was looking, he was pretty close, a little _ ** _too _ ** _close. He could practically feel the warmth radiating off of Midoriya's small body and bouncing onto his own. He could easily count every single damned freckle on the nerd's face. His eyes automatically took notice of the scars on his forehead from the times he fell as a kid. His cheeks looked soft to the touch, his jawline and nose sharp but plush looking, his hair and eyes a vibrant green with a golden glow from the sunset. And his lips...his lips looked..._ ** _kissable_ ** _. Only if he leaned a bit closer, he could—_

_No, he shouldn't be thinking like that. Bakugou cursed himself, biting his bottom lip and leaning back just enough. He turned away with furrowed eyebrows, closed eyes, and a frown._

_"I-It's your fault, fucking nerd. You shouldn't have stood there." The blonde heard the squeal of surprise from the younger male._

_"W-What?! You got into _ ** _my_ ** _ space!"_

_"You didn't do anything about it!"_

_"What was I supposed to do?"_

_Bakugou opened his ruby eyes and turned his head slightly to look at the shorter teen. What did he want him to do? Kiss him? Touch him? Hug him, even?_

_"Hey, Kacchan?" Deku called out. The blonde grumbled his response._

_"Will you and I...always be friends? I mean, I know we're both applying for UA but...what if we don't end up going to the same high school, you know? Would you even still wanna be my friend then?"_

_He didn't know what it was but he heard the sound of his own heart crack. Turning to face the shorter male completely, Bakugou quickly noticed the crestfallen look resting on the boy's face. Those bright green eyes of his lost their shine, his shoulders visibly sagged, and his pout shifted into a frown. Something clenched in his chest. He felt the sudden urge to wipe away that look and replace it with his normal joy. It wasn't even that long ago that he saw his smile but it felt like an eternity._

_He wanted to see it again._

_He'd do anything to see it again._

_Taking a step forward, Bakugou gazed down at the shorter teen, who refused to look up. Gently, he placed his hand under his chin, forcing them to make eye contact. And he froze. Emerald eyes met ruby ones and it felt like the whole world stopped. Deku was now gazing up at him, eyes fully glued to his and cheeks darkening in color. He felt his own face heating up again. Instinctively, he leaned closer, gently pulling the younger boy's face close to his own. They were impossibly close. Bakugou could count each individual eyelash with the lack of proximity._

_But instead, his eyes drifted downwards and focused on Deku's light pink plush lips, the ones he deemed, in his mind, kissable. Maybe they were. It wouldn't hurt to test that, would it?_

_The older teen purposefully brushed their lips against each other, ignoring the hitch in the shorter boy's breath. Tilting his head, he leaned in further only to stop._

_Why was he doing this?_

_What's the point?_

_Why wasn't Deku fucking stopping him?_

_He hesitantly leaned back, briefly looking down at his feet before pulling the green-eyed teen into a tight-gripped hug, hearing the boy squeak in surprise. Bakugou naturally nuzzled his face into the soft emerald locks and inhaled deeply._

_"Who said I was your friend?"_

_He felt Deku sighing against his chest, nearly stumbling over his own feet when he felt the smaller boy wrap his arms around his body in return. Deku nuzzled his face into the nape of Bakugou's neck._

_"I did. You did. We both did."_

_"We were brats back then." He replied. Midoriya's laugh was muffled against him._

_"You're still a brat." Deku joked, earning himself a growl. He laughed and pressed closer. "You didn't answer my question yet."_

_As reluctant as he was, Bakugou couldn't fight the half-smile resting on his face._

_"...Of course, I will, you fucking idiot. Don't ask me again."_

And who knew that would be the last time he held that green-haired idiot like that?

Bakugou clenched his teeth, the stinging in his eyes increasing to an uncomfortable burning, the tears threatening to spill pooling on the corners of his eyes. His heart ached painfully in his chest. The blonde man remembers too vividly the smile Deku always had, how it made him feel like nothing was wrong and that everything's ok and they didn't have to worry about a damn thing. He remembers what it was like to hold that small boy in his arms and, God, the way his heartbeat picked up in speed and rattled against his rib cage. But all of that changed.

No breaking news on the TV that day, no newspaper headlines, no "missing person" fliers hanging around on the street lamps, no one searching, and no one noticing a damn thing.

Nobody knew Deku disappeared.

Bakugou never wanted to see Mrs. Midoriya's broken-hearted and crestfallen face again. It only made hearing the news from her even worse. She was barely able to get the words out before she broke down and collapsed to her knees at her doorstep, falling into his arms and bracing him for dear life. He remembered her tears soaking his shirt that day. The blonde doesn't really remember his own. His parents did their best to comfort the mourning mother but it seemed pointless. She cried. And they didn't stop her.

He barely registered his parents' desperate yells for him to come back when he hastily ran out of Mrs. Midoriya's apartment, slamming the door behind him and ignoring the curious pedestrians. His feet automatically took him to the last spot he saw that damned idiot—the river behind the old playground. And the moment he was finally and truly alone, Bakugou broke the act and let the tears roll down his face, eyes burning and quirk activating when he swiftly turned and blew apart a tree in his misery.

From that day on, Bakugou swore to himself to become "the best fucking hero in all of fucking Japan" in hopes to, one day, find the missing Deku.

Year after year, Bakugou searched almost endlessly for any traces of him. He's stayed late in the office for countless hours, searching through the heroes' database for any lead, always resulting in a worried and disappointed Kirishima waiting for him at home. He's asked the police countless times if they ever got a lead on the case, despite it being years since it closed.

No luck. But dammit he's not stopping.

Witness reports, news articles, personal records, _anything _he could get his hands on and he still found nothing. All he had left of Deku was the pictures and memories of them together. And that hurt worse than losing him in the first place. 


	12. A Moment of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Childish hopes and dreams. A prince and his damsel. The villain and the hero. The victim without a witness. Painful and heart-crushing memories. Was there a point to this or is it nonsense?

Scarred fingers lightly brushed along the glass, afraid if he put any more pressure, he'd break it entirely. But, deep down, he knew how strong it truly was. After 23 years, it still hasn't broken or cracked, protecting the picture encased behind it. His eyes gazed at the person in the photo. They were small, little, tiny even. Their eyes were half-lidded but they had the biggest toothless grin an infant could muster. He didn't quite remember it like the other pictures he has but he remembers always asking about it as a child. He always wondered who it was and why his mother always kept it. Five-year-old Izuku would've never truly believed it was him until he saw himself smiling in the mirror.

He doesn't remember being that tiny little baby his mom talked about sometimes. He doesn't remember his first words or his first steps. He doesn't remember the loving gaze his mom gave him as his eyes drifted shut, his little body laid in his crib. But he will always remember his mother's warmth. The way she held him, even though he doesn't truly remember, was enough to remind him why he always smiled so much.

He wanted to be just as warm as she always was. He still does, even as an adult. But could he truly be that way with all of the things he's done for those people? The blood, screams, and pain stained his skin. Scars littered his body from the countless fights he's been in and the times he acted as a pawn. His mind was filled with the haunting memories of all of the experiments, missions, and death he's seen with those same bright green eyes he had as a child.

How could someone so tainted have the same warmth as someone that's the complete opposite of him? Was that even possible? Izuku didn't believe it was, not after all he's seen and done. He doubts he would ever believe it, the little tale he told himself. He could never be like his mother no matter how hard he tried. Still, a small stubborn part of him refused to believe he couldn't be like her. That part was screaming, almost yelling in his ears that he could be just like his own mother if he truly wanted to be.

But the past refuses to leave him alone. It bothers him like a pesky little fly on a hot summer's day.

In between his belief and his doubt, reality reminds him in subtle ways the choice isn't entirely up to him. His scarred hand slowly moves away from the photo and rests against his stomach. Izuku gradually accepted the little thing—_baby_, he corrects—growing inside his body. He couldn't ignore the child—_his_ child—even if he wanted to.

Izuku knew he wasn't going to give them up no matter how much he convinced himself he was. But telling himself and telling his friends were two separate things. Hearing him say his thoughts out loud was enough to break his heart all over again. It still hurts remembering what he said. Even though he knows the baby can't hear him, he still apologized profusely as if they could. He knew he didn't have to do something as silly as apologizing to an unborn baby but he didn't feel silly. Izuku felt relieved, like everything was lifted off of his chest, even for a moment. His mind still played its dirty tricks on him but he already knew what he wanted, knew what he was going to do about it. He just didn't know how to protect it, didn't know how to truly make what he wants _his_. Then his hands start moving, following the gentle curve of his stomach and rubbing circles onto the round surface.

Small, fragile, vulnerable, safe, _innocent_—were the words that went through his mind.

It made his heart swell in a good way, not in fear or dread. For the first time in years, Izuku feels content and calm, almost uncaring about the world around him. But he has to care, he knows he does. What would happen to his little one if he didn't? He shook his head. No, he shouldn't think like that.

The way his stomach feels under his hands, small, almost barely there but enough that he notices, his shirt snugly fit around it. Every muscle on his abdomen completely softened, no longer hard and straining against his skin but soft and curving gently. Moving his hands away from his belly, the green-haired man settled them onto his hips. Even without a mirror, he could easily tell they grew a tad bit wider, accommodating the growing life inside of him. One of his hands moved to his back. Izuku pressed his thumb into the small of his back, ignoring the ache and trailing along a small but deep curve forming in his spine. His body was changing and his mind was falling slightly behind said changes. His eyes could see everything clearly but his brain had trouble grasping the reality of it all. Izuku's lips quirked upwards into a half-smile.

The antihero's daydreaming came to an end when the sound of the doorbell broke his trance. He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. Izuku walked down the rest of the hallway and headed straight for the front door, wasting no time to open it. Though he's not usually someone who's surprised easily, he was shocked to see the familiar half-half features of a particular icy-hot hero standing outside of his doorway.

"Todoroki?" Izuku muttered softly. 

~

He sighed as the bright-haired hero dropped another large stack of papers on top of his desk, visibly grimacing at the sound it made. Kaminari rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with a crooked grin.

"Ah, I'm sorry about this, Todoroki. Not sure exactly what happened for this much paperwork to be filed but, apparently, it's part of our job description." Replacing his half-frown, the electric hero flashed the older man an easygoing grin.

"I don't know. You'd think we were the police instead of pro heroes with all of the paperwork that's coming through." He chuckled. To his surprise, Todoroki made a noise of amusement, his own smile on his face.

"Perhaps."

"Guess that's why they give it to us, huh? To relieve the massive load of the police? Such a flawed system." Kaminari joked. "All jokes aside, how you been lately, man? You look like you got ran over by a train or something, which doesn't make complete sense since you could easily just freeze it...or burn it...or both...and then pay the damage fees...Never mind. So, yeah, what's up?"

For a moment, there was a contemplative look on the half-half hero's face, producing a matching frown to go along with it. The look was quickly replaced by something the blonde man could describe as "_amused but not really into dealing with your shit right now_".

"Something like that. A lot has happened as of late, primarily outside of the agency." Todoroki replied after a long silence. Kaminari was worried he'd have to be the one to fill it if the older hero didn't say anything.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, so we're digging into the personal life of the mysterious, handsome, and reserved pro hero: Todoroki Shouto!"

The electric quirk user lifted his arm just below his eyes and squinted, looking from one end of the room to the other rapidly in an odd attempt to look suspenseful. His bright eyes finally landed on Todoroki, who, no doubt, was giving him the most confused and simultaneously bored look he'd ever received from the older man. Kaminari dropped his arms to his sides with a wide grin, a wholehearted laugh that reached his eyes.

"Nah, I'm joking! I get it—keep the personal and work life separate, you know? Though, the media **_loves_** to dig into our asses about our personal lives..." The blonde man shuddered visibly. He looked back up at the older quirk user and gave him a relaxed smile.

"I can take half of this load off of you." Kaminari offered.

Todoroki thought about it for a moment then shook his head in reply. "No, thank you. I wouldn't want my burden to become yours."

"Oh, well...that's a bit unfortunate because that wasn't a question—it was a _statement_, pal," Kaminari smirked. He walked over to the half-half hero's desk and scooped up a good chunk of the paperwork sitting on top of it, cradling the newly-formed pile in his arms.

"Besides, I've got nothing to do. My shift here at the office ends at five and then right after that, I've got patrol duty just outside of Fukuoka. Don't know why they're putting me there but I'm not gonna complain. It's keeping me busy. Until then, my schedule's a blank slate. I wouldn't mind doing some paperwork if it keeps me occupied and helps you out. You look like you're gonna blow up any minute and I don't wanna be the first in the line of fire." Kaminari joked.

"Oh, and your shift ends earlier than mine anyway. Two, right?" He received a nod. "Exactly. Ends in a few minutes and I'm kicking you out. No need to stay back late because of some files that you have all week to fill out. Knowing you, you'd be the last one here 'til closing time." The blonde quirk user said in finality, already making his way towards the door. He gave the older man one last grin.

"Go _chill_ for a while, man. You need it or else you'll _burn_ yourself out."

"Kaminari, _leave_."

He heard his younger companion cackle as he made his way down the hallway, not too long after, hearing him mutter a few apologies and someone reassuring him. The clicking of heels drew his attention away from the commotion he heard earlier, his eyes settling on his half-open office door. He caught a glimpse of long jet black hair and found himself grinning.

"Come in, Yaoyorozu."

The woman scoffed gently, putting her hand back down at her side and brushed her pencil skirt. She attempted to make it look like she wasn't going to knock on the door. "How'd you know it was me?"

"You're the only one who bothers to knock on the door even when it's wide open."

"...I hate you."

Todoroki chuckled. The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes.

"On a separate note, Kaminari told me you had a stack of paperwork you needed to fill out so you were about to pull another overtime day but he stopped you before you could. Just saying, it wasn't only his idea." Yaoyorozu said, winking playfully towards her coworker.

The man rolled his eyes. "I wasn't planning on staying after for long."

"Then what were you planning on doing?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, the heterochromatic hero stared blankly but he eventually wiped it off his face and replaced it with a bashful look. If she wasn't looking, Yaoyorozu would've missed the tiny blush sitting on his cheeks.

"I plan to go see Midoriya after I finish up some reports for the evening. We haven't spoken since before Uraraka and I rushed him to the hospital. I want to ensure he's doing well." He admitted. "It's only right if I do."

The black-haired quirk user graced a soft smile on her face. She felt a sense of pride swell through her. "Well, if that's what you wanna do, I won't stop you. Besides, I think Midoriya-kun would like that, whether he admits it or not." She grinned. "Just don't rip each other's throats out in the process and you should be fine!"

"We're not going to do that."

"Are you sure? Because, last I checked, you two aren't the best of friends...or did things change?" Yaoyorozu questioned, striding further into the room and leaning her hip against the desk, arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at the taller hero. Todoroki avoided eye contact and instead looked elsewhere. The woman frowned.

"Todoroki? Something wrong? Did I...touch a sensitive topic by accident?"

He shook his head. "No, you didn't, Yaoyorozu. And nothing's wrong, really. Thinking is all."

She didn't look convinced. "Alright, if you say so. But you should get out of here. Wouldn't want to keep your prince waiting in his tower for very long now would you?" The blush that sat on Todoroki's face increased tenfold, the deep dark red staining his cheeks as he stood up from his chair and gathered his belongings. He refused to look at Yaoyorozu, who cackled happily on the opposite side of him.

Instead, Todoroki deliberately ignored her for a few moments, slung his bag over his shoulder and stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking over to the office door with a deep frown on his face. Before he could leave, he felt the familiar touch of the female hero. He turned to face her wide crooked grin.

"I'm sorry! I had to joke about it. You've been so pent up lately it's," She paused, grin faltering slightly. "Concerning. Seriously, lighten up a little, ok?" She tightened her grip on his shoulder. "I'll see you later, yeah? I've got a date tonight."

Todoroki nodded. "With Jirou, I presume?" Yaoyorozu instantly became flustered, taking a step back from the now grinning pro hero and fiddling with her fingers.

"What makes you say that?" She croaked.

The half-half quirk user shrugged casually. "As involved as you are in my personal life," He paused, a knowing look crossing his face. "Its only natural that I pick up on your love interests, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki explained, taking a step out of his office. He turned his head to look at his flushed comrade, the smile never leaving his face. "Tell me about it tomorrow." The man took his leave but far behind him, he missed Yaoyorozu's fond smile. 

~

Hastily shutting the front door, Izuku walked away in resistance to the sudden urge to leave the house. From where he stood, he silently watched as the hero gazed around, a thoughtful and relaxed expression on his face but one couldn't tell with his tensed up shoulders. His eyes were filled with a contained curiosity and hesitance present in his upright posture. The man looked like he wanted to reach out and touch things, maybe even delicately brush his fingers over them to memorize every nook and cranny, but his self-control beat his wonder. He looked like a curious child—an _adorable_ curious child—in the body of an adult. Butterflies gently fluttered in Izuku's belly, his hand instinctively resting and rubbing against it for a moment before he settled it back to his side.

It took him a minute too long to realize Todoroki stopped his wondrous gazing, looking at him expectantly.

"I was calling you, Midoriya." He said bluntly.

"Huh? Oh, uh, sorry..." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I...didn't really notice." He avoided the other's heterochromatic eyes as best as he could and opted to look elsewhere. He still found himself taking shy glances at the older man. To his surprise, there was a tiny half-smile gracing Todoroki's lips as he gently shook his head.

"Don't worry. It's nothing dire or in need of your attention." Todoroki adjusted the strap of his crossbody bag to rest comfortably on his shoulder. He then pointed to the top of the fireplace. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get these photos from?"

Izuku felt his heart drop for a second. He heavily debated in his mind if he should bother telling the hero. Would he rat him out to the agency? Should he tell him the full story? Deep down, the antihero knew there was no avoiding the subject forever.

With a sigh, he answered, "Some of my comrades broke into my mother's house a few years back and...well...you kinda guess what they took from there." Izuku silently gestured to the photos. "It happened about a year or two after they...kidnapped me. I'm still not sure if they're the originals or copies just to psyche me out but they said something about it being my motive to stay with them. So when I got old enough, around eighteen, they bought me this house and gave it meaning. All of it was to give me a reason to stay."

He crossed his arms over his chest, eying each picture with a disdained look on his face. Todoroki furrowed his eyebrows together. He bit his bottom lip, stiffening at his own lack of response.

How was he supposed to answer?

'_I'm sorry that they kidnapped you and forced you to be__their toy_?'

'_Why didn't you ever try to get help?_' The half-half quirk user instantly scratched that one off the list. He already knew the answer and, as much as he hated to admit it, the League of Villains is a powerful group of people. One wrong move could land anybody, including a hero, on the wrong side of the playing cards. But Midoriya of all people? Why?

"Because they told me I was special, well, _going to be _even more special than I already was." Izuku answered. When Todoroki turned to him with a surprised look, he couldn't stifle a chuckle that bubbled to the surface. "You kinda said your thoughts out loud."

Oh. The heterochromatic man cleared his throat and ignored the light pink blush gradually appearing on his face. "I apologize."

"No, don't. I tend to do it a lot myself." The emerald-eyed male smiled gently. "It's about time I finally told someone the truth. I just didn't think it'd be you, you know? Not that I'm saying you're bad at talking to people, I'm just saying I didn't think it'd be the guy who caught me in the first place that I'd tell first. I mean, I thought I was gonna tell Iida-kun and Uraraka-san before anybody but I got a bit caught up in the moment and just started spilling things I kept to myself for so long and—"

"It's fine."

"—I...what?"

"It's fine, Midoriya."

"Oh." The green-haired quirk user murmured. He turned away, looking anywhere but at the hero across from him. A shaky breath left his lips. "I guess...you have some questions, huh?"

Todoroki stayed silent for a few moments. But that silence felt much longer. Maybe it was the slight tension in the room or the anticipation of the older man's answer that had Izuku fidgeting in his spot. Maybe it was neither of them or both simultaneously. He couldn't tell. But he was grateful when the half-half hero finally spoke.

"I do. However, I can wait for those answers." Izuku lifted his head and locked eyes with the other male. His heart began throbbing in his chest and those butterflies from earlier made their grand reappearance when he witnessed the first genuine smile the hero has given him. He felt like he could treasure it, afraid it would be a one-time thing, never to be seen by him again.

"You can answer when you're ready, Midoriya. There's no rush."

He thought it over for a moment. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could finally relieve the aching pressure sitting comfortably on his chest and drawing his breath away. Maybe he could finally tell his story to someone who's willing to listen. Maybe he could finally break free from the binds the League of Villains has him tied tightly to. Maybe...things would be ok again. Izuku couldn't fight the tiny grin creeping onto his face as he gazed up at the taller man, a fondness and thankfulness in his green eyes as they made eye contact.

Maybe someone could heal him and bring back the Izuku he once was.

Maybe he could finally move on from this.

And maybe, just maybe, he could restore his childish but hopeful faith in heroes again, almost exactly as how he remembered.


	13. NOT A NEW CHAPTER! AUTHOR’S NOTE!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wish this was an update but tis is an author’s note!!

Hello, everyone! Dear readers, guests, anons, and anyone who had come across this horrid excuse of a fanfiction—!!   
  


Unfortunately, this isn’t an update to the story. However, it is an update regarding the story. While I haven’t updated in months (I know, scREw me—) and just kinda left it sitting here, I got absorbed with other personal projects, portfolio work for art school, school in general (junior year killed me and I’m waiting for senior year to do the same), and other fandoms. And looking back on this, I’m not really fond of my work, definitely not as much as I used to be when I first got to working on it.   
  


I realized some things just didn’t make any sense in the story (I think I was on literal crack when I wrote most of the chapters tbh but that’s not the point—). Gradually over time, I grew displeased with where it was going and just stopped writing altogether. I have been seeing your comments but haven’t responded to many because I haven’t been active with that at all. I really do apologize for that ;-; But, on a slightly lighter note, with quarantine still being a thing, I have more time in my hands.   
  


While that is true, I still have a lot of different projects I’m working on all at once (not smart—don’t do it) so scheduling is still a bit of an issue (and so is sleep but I won’t talk about that).   
  


I will say that I do plan on rewriting the story altogether with slightly different characters (Ex. Vigilante!Izuku...maybe) and a different plot. It’ll be a long haul but I think it’ll be worth it! I’ve got a lot of ideas running through my head for other fanfics in other fandoms I’m in and love to get those out but definitely don’t want to abandon this work because it’s my first BNHA fanfiction 😌 

I do plan on getting started on it soon! Hopefully you’ll all stick around for the rewritten version of this story!


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